If you feel like you don’t have enough productivity to get your important things done, then you’ve probably fallen into The Endless Pit of Needs. This is a real place at work, where customers or coworkers take up too much of your time and you get little in return for your investment.
Typically this situation comes out of kindness. That’s a great quality but it’s also one that can lead to a feeding frenzy of requests.
It’s not easy to say, “No” but it is often necessary. Time is a limited resource. How much of your productivity can you afford to give away? I doubt that unlimited kindness will be part of your next annual review.
Let’s examine two familiar scenarios that illustrate The Endless Pit of Needs and how you can overcome them.
The Free Sample
Imagine that you own an ice cream parlor that gives out free samples. Occasionally people will come and ask for 10 or more free samples. In this case, the loss of product may not be significant but the loss of time should be a consideration.
Do the freeloaders slow down the line? Does their presence prevent the clerk from accomplishing other things? Or do paying customers not get into a line that was slowed by an onslaught of free samples of chocolate chip, coffee mocha, and raspberry fudge?
Here, you need to respect the definition of “free.” Free should not only refer to the price of the good or service but should also apply to the employee’s time.
If business is slow at the ice cream parlor, then give out as many samples as you like. When things are busy, there’s nothing wrong with cutting off a sample junkie after two or three samples.
Are you worried about losing a potential customer? This feeling is very common and it can lead to massive overcompensation aimed at someone who ultimately had no interest in buying from you. It’s like placing a large bet at the poker table without seeing any of your cards.
Usually, people who are unsure about spending money with you aren’t going to move your sales figures that much. Cut your losses and focus on the people who have cash and are willing to spend it.
Free Training
This is a common situation in the office. You have a colleague who doesn’t want to learn a process or a procedure. Let’s say it’s filling out his weekly expense form. So every week, he dumps a crumbled collection of receipts on your desk, looks pitiful, and asks you to make sense of them.
Why are you doing this if it’s not your job? Because you’re nice, like to help out, and your coworker says he doesn’t know how to enter the information into the computer. This person is not a supervisor. You actually do much the same job.
Helping out is good but repeatedly helping out with the same problem is not. Don’t let someone treat you like an all you can eat buffet of free help. There are those who will prey on your niceness which results in a boost in their productivity while your output falls.
To change the dynamics of this unfair deal, you need to agree to do the work one more time if he will sit with you and learn how to do it. This has to be a legitimate effort on his part.
If the problem continues, consider bringing it to the attention of your supervisor, ask the other party to do some of your work, or run toward the bathroom whenever he approaches your desk, holding a bunch of receipts.
Don’t expect others to value your productive time. They likely have no idea about your workload.
Maybe it’s time to bring Ken Okel to your next meeting…
Read any good books lately?
