3 ways you can still use your ability and stay within your capacity
Are you trying to figure out how to get your days to run just a little bit smoother? If so, it is about time you got a good understanding of your ability versus your capacity while you move through your day.
What is ability?
Ability is that thing or those things that you can do hands down. These abilities could be your gifts, your talents, or just something that you know how to do very well. Ability can also be background knowledge from when you went to school or skills you have learned from working at a company. Based on the Definition from Oxford Languages, ability is a talent, skill, or proficiency in a particular area.
What is capacity?
Capacity, in terms of this blog, is the time you have available to do something before your cup is empty. The way I am using capacity has everything to do with your precious time. Dictionary.com says capacity is the actual or potential ability to perform, yield, or withstand.
This is what happened to me.
Not too long ago, I struggle with trying to do more than I could handle. When people, personal and business, would ask for my assistance, I had this thing where a few phases would fly out of my mouth without a second thought. Those phases got me in a world of trouble!
- No problem!
- Absolutely!
- I can do that!
- I don’t have a problem doing that!
Except for, all of those tasks that I was taking on started to add up, and eventually, I had a hard time keeping up. Things fell between the cracks. Clients got upset. Items I needed to complete for myself, as a mom, and as a wife just didn’t getting done. It was because I could not do all those things even though my ability level was there. I quickly learned that I needed to be careful with how quickly I took on new projects. If I wasn’t able to complete them in a timely matter and to my full ability, I didn’t take it on.
Below are 3 ways I was able to use my abilities while staying within my capacity.
Plan.
Align your day, time, and talent in a way that you are more productive. Someone once said, if you fail to plan, you have already planned to fail. Properly planning out your time will give you a clear view of what you have the capacity to handle. To learn how I keep a rock-solid schedule, read more about the block schedule system, here.
Tell people NO.
People will ask you to do things for them that they know you have the ability to do well. By accepting those tasks from others, you run the risk of putting items on the back burner that’s important to you. You have to always remember to cross-check your plans, as discussed in #1 to be sure you have the capacity to take on a new task. In the words of Representative Maxine Waters, Reclaim your time, honey!
Be OK with what you decide to prioritize.
People will try and make you feel bad for choosing yourself. The worst thing you can do is to allow another person to make you feel like you’re doing something wrong because you told them NO to their request. Deciding that the things you have going on in your life are more important than the things they want you to make a priority, is golden.
Always remember, another persons’ emergency is not your emergency.
Operating out of straight ability will cause tasks to be missed, forgotten, or not completed at 100%. When I say completed at 100%, I’m not speaking of perfection! I’m talking about simply getting the task DONE promptly and up to par based on the ability. When you are overextended, everything will get parts of your attention and nothing will get your undivided attention. Handing over sloppy work, giving out shabby advice, taking incomplete notes, handling your task in an unorganized way, will not end well for anyone. Out of everything you can do, there is a guarantee that you will not have the capacity to complete it all.
Thank you for stopping by momma! Remember you are enough and you are doing the BEST you can.