1. Workload Assessment

1. Ask the user to list all current tasks, projects, and ongoing responsibilities.
   • Example: "List everything on your plate—projects, recurring tasks, meetings, admin duties, side responsibilities."
2. Ask the user to estimate time required for each item per week or month.
   • Example: "How much time does each responsibility require—hours per week or month?"
3. Ask the user about their available capacity—total work hours and how much is already committed.
   • Example: "What's your total available work time per week, and how much is already filled with meetings/commitments?"
4. Ask the user about their team or resources—who else could potentially help, and what are their capacities?
   • Example: "Who's on your team, what are their skills/capacity, and are they over/under-utilized?"

2. Capacity Calculation

Total Available Hours:

• Work hours per week: 40 (or actual)
• Minus: Meetings (typically 10-15 hours)
• Minus: Email/communication (5-8 hours)
• Minus: Breaks and transitions (3-5 hours)
• Actual productive capacity: ~20-25 hours/week

Current Workload: Sum all task time estimates = X hours/week

Workload Ratio:

• Workload / Capacity = Y%
• <80%: Under-capacity (room for more)
• 80-100%: Optimal (sustainable)
• 100-120%: At risk (pushing it)

• 120%: Overloaded (unsustainable)

3. Task Categorization Matrix

Map tasks by two dimensions:

| | Only You | Others Can Do | | --------------- | ------------ | ----------------- | | High Impact | PROTECT | DELEGATE | | Low Impact | MINIMIZE | ELIMINATE |

Protect (High Impact, Only You):

• Your unique expertise/authority required
• Strategic or creative work
• Direct contributions to goals
• Keep these, optimize execution

Delegate (High Impact, Others Can Do):

• Important but not requiring your unique skills
• Growth opportunity for team member
• Clear process that can be taught
• Highest ROI for redistribution

Minimize (Low Impact, Only You):

• Admin or routine tasks that must be done by you
• Can't delegate but shouldn't take much time
• Batch, automate, or simplify
• Set time limits

Eliminate (Low Impact, Others Can Do):

• Neither valuable nor requiring you specifically
• Habit or tradition, not necessity
• Stop doing or hand off with low priority

4. Delegation Strategy

What to Delegate:

Ready to Delegate Now:

• Clear, repeatable processes
• Tasks with training resources available
• Non-urgent items (time to onboard)
• Opportunities for team growth

Requires Documentation First:

• Complex processes you've been doing ad-hoc
• Create SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
• Record yourself doing it once
• Then delegate with documentation

Delegation Framework:

Step 1: Select Task

• High impact but delegatable
• Clear success criteria
• Reasonable learning curve

Step 2: Choose Delegate

• Has capacity
• Has skills or can learn
• Motivated or growth-aligned

Step 3: Transfer Effectively

• Explain why and context
• Show how (don't just tell)
• Provide resources and documentation
• Set expectations and deadlines

Step 4: Support & Monitor

• Check in initially (not micromanage)
• Available for questions
• Review first few outputs
• Gradually reduce oversight

Step 5: Let Go

• Trust their approach (may differ from yours)
• Allow mistakes as learning
• Resist taking back unless critical

5. Automation & Elimination

Automation Candidates:

High-Frequency, Low-Complexity:

• Data entry or transfers
• Report generation
• Email responses (templates/canned)
• Scheduling and reminders
• File organization

Tools to Consider:

• Zapier/Make for workflows
• Email filters and templates
• Scheduling tools (Calendly)
• Task automation in project tools
• Scripts for repetitive computer tasks

Elimination Candidates:

Stop Doing If:

• No one notices when you don't do it
• Duplicate effort (someone else does similar)
• Outdated process (was needed once, not anymore)
• Meeting with no clear purpose
• Report no one reads

How to Stop:

• Test: Skip it once and see what happens
• Communicate: "I'm discontinuing X, speak up if critical"
• Redirect: "For Y, please contact Z instead"

6. Workload Rebalancing Plan

Current State:

• Total workload: X hours
• Capacity: Y hours
• Overload: (X-Y) hours need redistribution

Rebalancing Target:

• Delegate: A hours (specific tasks listed)
• Automate: B hours (specific processes)
• Eliminate: C hours (specific items)
• Minimize: D hours (batch or time-box)

Goal: Workload = 80-90% of capacity

Implementation Timeline:

Week 1-2: Quick Wins

• Eliminate easiest items (stop showing up, decline meetings)
• Delegate 1-2 straightforward tasks
• Automate 1 simple process

Week 3-4: Documentation

• Create SOPs for delegatable processes
• Set up automation tools
• Prepare team for handoffs

Week 5-8: Major Transitions

• Delegate significant responsibilities
• Train team members
• Monitor and support

Week 9+: Optimization

• Fine-tune redistributed work
• Address issues that arose
• Settle into sustainable load

7. Team Capacity Optimization

Team Capacity Analysis:

| Team Member | Total Capacity | Current Load | % Utilized | Available Hours | Skills | Growth Goals | | ----------- | -------------- | ------------ | ---------- | --------------- | ------ | ------------- | | Person A | 40h | 35h | 88% | 5h | X, Y | Learn Z | | Person B | 40h | 25h | 63% | 15h | A, B | Lead projects |

Distribution Principles:

Match Skills:

• Delegate to those with relevant skills
• Or those wanting to develop those skills
• Not always equal distribution (based on capacity and fit)

Balance Development:

• Growth opportunities for everyone
• Stretch assignments for high performers
• Manageable load for newer members

Avoid:

• Overloading high performers (burnout)
• Under-utilizing eager team members (disengagement)
• Dumping unwanted tasks only (demotivating)

8. Sustainable Workload Habits

Weekly Workload Review:

• Are you staying at ~80% capacity?
• New tasks added need something removed
• Regular pruning of low-value work

Saying No:

• Default to no for new requests
• Yes only if: High impact AND you have capacity
• Offer alternatives: delegate, defer, or decline politely

Boundary Setting:

• Work hours (when you start/stop)
• Availability (when you check email)
• Response times (not instant for everything)
• Focus time (protected, no interruptions)

Energy Management:

• High-energy time for high-impact work
• Low-energy time for routine tasks
• Breaks to sustain capacity
• Rest to prevent burnout

9. Deliverables

Workload Analysis Report:

• Current task inventory
• Time estimates and total load
• Capacity calculation
• Overload quantification

Task Categorization Matrix:

• Each task plotted: Impact vs. Delegatable
• Action for each: Protect/Delegate/Minimize/Eliminate
• Priority order for redistribution

Delegation Plan:

• Tasks to delegate with target assignees
• Documentation needs
• Training timeline
• Monitoring approach

Automation Opportunities:

• Processes to automate
• Tools required
• Implementation steps
• Time savings expected

Rebalancing Timeline:

• Week-by-week action plan
• Milestones and checkpoints
• Success metrics
• Adjustment triggers

Team Capacity Dashboard:

• Everyone's current utilization
• Skills and growth goals
• Distribution recommendations
• Balance assessment

Present comprehensive workload analysis with task categorization, delegation strategy, automation opportunities, and rebalancing plan to achieve sustainable, well-distributed team capacity.