How to Avoid “High Maintenance, Low Impact” Activities
Photo Credit: @little_klein via Unsplash.
I recently had a conversation with a friend who was lamenting the need to invest more and more time in tasks at work that weren’t relevant to his sense of purpose. I replied by saying, “Ah - you mean high maintenance, low impact activities.” Intrigued by this description, he requested, “Please, tell me more.”
This post is for him, my clients, and my other readers.
"High maintenance, low impact" is a phrase I first heard years ago from a pastor who was announcing an upcoming Halloween carnival. With a grin on his face, and as an off-handed comment, he mentioned, “I consider this to be a high-maintenance, low impact ministry activity. So if it’s going to happen, the congregation will need to make it happen. It’s not going to be a priority for me.”
I had two responses:
First, I was impressed with his chutzpah for being so honest about an event that had been a tradition for years.
Second, I volunteered to help because I thought the carnival was both valuable and fun.
While some might complain that the pastor was being a curmudgeon, I want to give him credit for being a leader. In The Work of Leadership, Ron Heifetz explains that leadership includes giving work to employees so they can develop themselves. Otherwise they become dependent on the leader. The carnival was a case study of Heiffetz's suggestion. In this case, it was clear that we didn't need our pastor's direct supervision in order to pull off a Halloween carnival.
What makes a “high maintenance, low impact” activity?
Imagine an exercise program that advertised itself as both challenging to do and providing limited benefits for your health goals. How excited would you be about that exercise program? Unless you simply enjoy exerting yourself, it would be a waste of time and energy. Such a workout would be "high maintenance, low impact." (For simplicity's sake, let's call these activities HMLI's, pronounced "him-lees.")
Henley t-shirts are cool. HMLI activies, not so much.
Image Credit: Wikimedia commons
Pun Credit: My love for Dad jokes.
Of course, to recognize an HMLI, you’d first need to know what your actual health goals are. Once you knew what's important for you, it would be easier to recognize the HMLI's that want to steal your time and energy. (This is where that whole “leadership vision” thing becomes important.)
How to Recognize a HMLI
On a scale of one to ten, how well does this activity fit your priorities or the purpose of my organization?
On a scale of one to ten, how much energy will this take from you?
Do the math. If you end up with a negative number, then it is HMLI. Either delegate it, say “no” to it, or minimize the investment you make in it.
Some Applications
Use the two sentences for collaboration and the designed alliance techniques to help you navigate these conversations when you need to reprioritize work.
If you are having this conversation with your supervisor, then you may need to use some “courageous follower” skills.
When something feels out of sorts for you, ask yourself, “How much energy is this worth?” and “How much am I giving it?” The more you come up with a negative answer, the more often you’ve identified something to either delegate, delete, or minimize.
There are a variety of productivity systems that can help. I'm currently using a daily planner from Business Made Simple that requires me to review my (self-composed) obituary, 10-year, 5-year, and 1-year goals before I write my plans for the day. That has been a helpful filter for primary and secondary tasks.
Minimizing HMLI's is one key skill for avoiding burnout. I can think of two examples in my own life where I decided to leave jobs that I really cared about, yet the HMLI balance was off, and I couldn't figure out how to correct it.
For Reflection
What motivates you to hang on to HMLIs?
How would letting go of HMLIs impact your energy, relationships, and effectiveness?
What are your options for moving forward?
What will you commit to doing?
Additional Resources
I view the ability to manage HMLIs as another application of the Eisenhower Matrix tool for time management. If you aren’t familiar with it, see the explanatory video below.
For some thoughts on how to develop “low maintenance, high impact” activities (the opposite of HMLIs), take a look at Greg McKeown’s book Effortless.