I really love this website First Round review. This post by Roli Saxena talks about how to avoid burnout with a valuable concept called the Prioritization Matrix,  a simple grid which categorizes work on 2 axes: 1) impact for the company,2) likelihood for success. The quadrants are: “Strategic Priorities”, “Home runs”,” Housekeeping” and my personal favorite, “Stuff You Shouldn’t be Doing.” She talks about how to align your activities, and most important, what you should be spending your time on and what you should be delegating.

This is one of the biggest challenges I see managers often struggle with. They don’t spend enough time on “strategic priorities” where thought leadership and involvement is key. They aren’t relentless with “stuff you shouldn’t be doing” so they work long hours trying to do it all. They are too involved with “Home Run projects” which they should be delegating to top talent.

Take a look and go through the exercise. Where you have questions or concerns…talk to your manager. Now’s the time to make sure you’re focused on the right things….not at year end.