The point of diminishing returns
There are only so many hours in a day and in reality you can only give 100% of your total effort to all the work you do. Using your time and energy effectively becomes extremely important when you become busier. In addition become very busy takes away other aspects of your life which includes family, friends, and personal hobbies.
This is a lesson I learned from my mentor and I believe everyone should think twice before becoming too busy. For those who are motivated individuals like myself we can get caught up in the trap of becoming too busy and being involved in many initiatives or projects.
It sounds like a positive trait however many motivated individuals fail to see that being too busy and getting involved in a lot projects will reach the point of diminishing returns. What does that exactly mean? Well let’s look at the chart below:
If you are working on two things you can only give a total of 100%. Task one is getting 79% of your energy in which creates a positive output. The input is the work you put in + the process = the output (percent of return). Having roughly 80% of your energy dedicated to Task 1 is having a positive output for that task.
Now let’s look at the 2nd chart below:
This chart is an example of someone who is involved in many things. Although it sounds very motivating that a person is involved in many tasks/projects/initiatives but as you can see you are unable to provide a greater output because you are stretched out thin. In addition, do you even have time for your personal life? This exceeds the point of diminishing returns where we believe we are doing great however you are actually not providing the maximum potential outputs to the tasks you own.
The moral of the story is less is better! Focus on your key tasks/initiatives and be cautious about spreading yourself to thin. You should prioritize your work and FOCUS on gaining maximum output.
Ryan
