The concept of the invisible workload

I recently saw a post about this idea of the ‘invisible workload’ – the weight of having to think about & plan everything. This is referred to as the invisible workload because even if you're not the one doing everything, you might be thinking about everything and making all the decisions.

As I read this post, it occurred to me that this happens in businesses too!

How much of what you 'do' each day falls into the invisible workload category? Things that aren't obvious and can't necessarily be checked off a to-do list can take up a surprising amount of time & energy. 

Things like:

• Thinking about what needs to be done - when, how, and by who
• Delegating what needs to be done - we may not be doing the work but having to 'pass it along to someone else still takes time.
• Following up on tasks - checking in with folks re: "what is the status of this?" is work, particularly when things aren't getting done or falling behind.
• Making decisions - be it big or small decisions, there is the energy required to think through everything so we can decide (and decision fatigue is a very real thing)

How can it impact your life?

Now to some degree, the invisible workload is just part of the gig - for business owners, there will always be thinking & decisions making to be made.

But as your business grows, you simply don't have the capacity - or the desire! - to keep all of this invisible workload on your plate. And it can start to show over time through exhaustion, frustration, or a lack of progress as things sit waiting for your input & decisions.

There are a few things you can do when you find the invisible workload is becoming too much:

• Hire an OBM to take some invisible workloads off your shoulders - once you hit the early to the mid-6-figure range, there is simply too much going on to keep it all on your shoulders. An OBM’s expertise is taking your vision/goals and turning those into actionable plans, getting the right folks in place, and ensuring that the work is done correctly and on time. 
• Lead your team to take more ownership of their role - where is your team relying on you to make decisions or tell them what to do? Work together to clarify their role and lay out expectations of where they can take more ownership and make decisions on their own.
• Look to simplify where possible - are you trying to do too many things at once? As a visionary, I can easily fall into the trap of "let's do all these things and do them now!!" which means more thinking, decisions, and delegation. Instead of trying to do 3 things this month, what if you focused on doing only 1?

Do you need help with handling your invisible workload?

I'm curious - where/how do you feel the invisible workload is showing up in your business? What would be possible if you had someone to take more of the invisible workload off your plate? 
This is how I help get results for my clients and what it means to work with a Certified OBM in your business.
If your workload, invisible or otherwise, is feeling like too much, let’s connect.