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High-performing moms in executive and entrepreneurial roles face unique challenges, particularly around burnout prevention and recovery. Balancing a demanding career with the responsibilities of motherhood requires remarkable dedication, energy, and resilience, particularly as research continues to show that in cis-het relationships, women take on the vast majority of "invisible work" on the homefront, with women in higher-earning/ higher-powered roles actually taking on an even higher load in most relationships (which seems somehow surprisingly-not-surprising, right?). This is why the struggle to delegate tasks, set boundaries, and confidently say no is so important to address. This post is an introduction to one of the most powerful tools we help clients learn and implement in both the home and workplace (men can use it too, but this post is truly meant for the high-achieving moms out there who are feeling the burn and need something to change). This tool, which we call The Empowerment Grid, can help you manage your workload and daily grind more effectively, reclaim your time, and prevent burnout.
Understanding the Empowerment Grid
The Empowerment Grid, inspired by the Eisenhower Matrix, is a task management tool designed to help you organize yourself and your world based on your own values about what truly matters most to you in life, as well as task urgency and importance. Once you take stock of what matters most to you and all the items on the ever-growing To-Do List, this system divides tasks into four categories:
Must Do (Urgent & Important): Tasks that need immediate attention and are crucial for your long-term goals.
To Do (Commit & Plan): Important tasks that don’t require immediate action but are essential for your personal and professional growth.
Delegate: Tasks that require immediate attention but can be handled by someone else.
Delete/To Don't: Tasks that are neither urgent nor important and can be removed from your to-do list.
Why High-Performing Moms Need the Empowerment Grid
Whether you’re leading a team, running a business, or managing complex projects, your roles come with high expectations and constant demands. The Empowerment Grid helps you evaluate your tasks critically, empowering you to make decisions that align with your values and priorities. Here’s how it can help:
Prevent Burnout: If you have found your way to this page, it is almost guaranteed you feel like the way things are currently is not sustainable, you are overwhelmed, and maybe you feel resentful. The probably reality is that you ARE doing too much, which maybe some part of you recognizes, but maybe another part of you feels like you should be able to handle it, or like you have no choice, or that you are somehow defective or broken or a failure if you can't keep up or if you were to take a break. By stepping back and evaluating what really matters and makes like worth living and then categorizing your tasks, you create space for the parts that truly matter and avoid getting bogged down by non-essential activities, "shoulds," social expectations & norms that are strangling you, and more. This reduces stress, increases your self worth and autonomy, and gives you permission to find shifts and movement towards a healthier work-life balance*.
(*Small caveat: please don't expect that balance is going to feel like a state of total calm, relaxation, and happiness; that's not what balance means here. Actually, please expect that life is still going to be uncomfortable, no matter what is happening, because that's how life goes. Instead, the goal is to feel a sense of being able to be able to look at the way you are living, the choices you are making, and feel reasonably good about it - feel like there is balance in that there are enough things that feel good and worthwhile to you in there to mitigate the discomfort and challenges of life overall and also to feel like what you are spending time on has some worth to YOU.)
Enhanced Delegation: Do you have the sense that you are doing everything, all the time, everywhere, and that you cannot trust colleagues or family members to do what needs to be done in the way you need it done? If you were to have an honest conversation with yourself, would this be true, or is it possible that no one else is doing all the things, because you keep throwing your hands up and "just doing it" thinking that "if I don't do it, no one else will" or "they won't do it right" so that, in fact, you are enabling their lack of involvement by jumping in to to things instead of truly handing over tasks? If any of that resonates, it is crucial to recognize any tasks that are urgent but not important (not important means they can be done well enough by someone else, and don't need to meet the overly high standards you hold yourself to, or are not dependent on skills or expertise that only you have) and delegate effectively. In short, to have more time for the things that truly are important for you, it is absolutely necessary to hand off anything and everything that does not inherently require your special touch or does not feel extremely important and worthwhile to have your hands on.
Clear Boundaries: When you look at the grid, you give yourself a roadmap of what you want/ need to fill your time with, and what you don't. Thus, the grid empowers you to set clear boundaries by helping you understand which tasks you can confidently say no to, preserving your energy for what truly matters. As a quick review, "No," is a complete sentence, or, "No, thank you," if you feel the need to sprinkle some sparkle on there. And remember, boundaries are almost always uncomfortable on both sides at the outset - you can anticipate that as you say no to things you have historically taken on, you will get pushback - please keep in mind that the outcome is worth holding the line, and that the hardest but most important boundaries to hold, are usually with your own self (don't give up or give in!).
How to Set Up Your Empowerment Grid
Creating an Empowerment Grid is straightforward. It does work best if done weekly (or maybe daily, depending on the complexity of your life), and if written out (don't be tempted to hack it and "just do it in my head," as this requires too much executive function and actually depletes your internal resources needlessly).
Follow these steps:
Brain Dump: Start by writing out everything that needs to be done within your chosen timeframe (day, week, month, etc.). This includes personal, professional, and family responsibilities.
Categorize by Control: Notice what is within your control or influence and what is not. Place tasks in the grid based on urgency and importance.
Prioritize: Give great attention to what feels most important to you. Ensure the most critical tasks land in the "Must Do" section, and everything else starts in the "To Do" list. (Pro Tip: If a Self Care Activity of some sort isn't on your must-do list, take a big rethink on that and try again.)
Declutter: Move tasks from your "To Do" list into the appropriate quadrants (Delegate, Delete/To Don't) to streamline your focus and make the most of your time.
Tips for Effective Task Prioritization
Eliminate First: Start by removing tasks that are neither urgent nor important. This declutters your list and helps you focus on what truly matters.
Delegate Wisely: Identify tasks that can be handled by others. Delegation not only lightens your load but also empowers your team members or family.
Schedule Important Tasks: Allocate specific times for important but not urgent tasks to ensure they are not neglected.
Focus on High-Priority Tasks: Tackle tasks in the “Must Do” quadrant immediately. These tasks are critical for your success and well-being.
Examples of Tasks in Each Quadrant
To get a better understanding of how to categorize your tasks, here are some examples:
Must Do: Self Care Activity, prepare for a board meeting, finalize a project proposal, get kids to school.
To Do: Planning a long-term project, have a life-date with spouse to discuss all important aspects of relationship and have some fun, enrolling in a professional development course, strategizing business growth, find summer camp for kids, daily/ weekly chores, do monthly or weekly reconciliation of finances and set goals for future.
Delegate: Scheduling routine meetings, handling administrative tasks, organizing digital files, get spouse to find a weekly or twice monthly housecleaner, assign daily grind chores to kids.
Delete/To Don't: Attending unnecessary meetings, browsing social media during work hours, non-essential tasks that don’t contribute to your goals, venting about a partner, colleague, or friend to others.
Conclusion
Incorporating the Empowerment Grid into your routine can be transformative for high-performing executive and entrepreneurial moms. By effectively prioritizing your tasks, you can reduce stress, prevent burnout, and empower yourself to achieve both personal and professional success. Remember, it’s not about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most. Start using the Empowerment Grid today and take control of your time and energy. You deserve it.
By utilizing this simple, but effective tool, the focus can really shift from a sense of just surviving to a state of thriving - using an Empowerment Grid regularly is an opportunity for your life to be full of growth and balance and to feel very worth living. If you would like to print it out, please do so here.
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