What happens when we actually look at the work instead of just do it?

[Author’s Note: This is the first article in the Marcomms Department Survival Series where I help you focus on work that matters and building systems that enable you to do just that.]

Marketers are admittedly a curious bunch.
We know that no single solution can address all our challenges. That’s why we try lots of small tactics. We test. We iterate. Then we scale the stuff that shows promise.

It’s what we do.

But one thing we’re not always good at?
Knowing when to stop doing stuff.

It can be tempting to keep adding to our list of tasks, processes, and projects. But if you don’t regularly (or at least periodically) evaluate the efficacy of your work, you may be unwittingly contributing to your own demise: Death by a thousand tasks.

It Wasn’t Just Small Talk

Case in point: a while back my team was gathering to start our weekly check-in meeting, and everyone was casually swapping stories about how busy they were.

But this wasn’t small talk. This was big talk.

“I’m stressed because we keep adding these big projects and things never seem to calm down.”

“We get one thing done and it’s on to the next. We can’t even admire the cool thing we just accomplished.”

“It never seems to end.”

Coincidentally, I had just read a post on LinkedIn that proudly stated said something like,

“We’re not like faculty. We can’t compartmentalize our work with predictable starts and stops in the academic year. For us, it’s all about the chase—the journey, not the destination.”

And honestly? Each perspective is valid.

For those of us who’ve been in the seat for a while, we don’t think in tidy cycles of semesters and school years. We’re constantly hopping from project to project, initiative to initiative with little to no downtime to catch our breath. Mostly because we’re probably already behind on the next thing.

That pretty much sums up my entire career (and I bet yours, too).

It took two junior staffers—with barely three years of experience between them—to ask the questions that hadn’t crossed my mind in decades:

“Is this how it will be forever?”

“Why?”

Because my people aren’t buying it.

And my team is far from lazy or unengaged. Each one is the tip of the spear for their respective areas of responsibility. They care deeply about the work. About the team. About the college.

But even the most resilient people have their breaking point.

---

So What’s a Leader to Do?

Stop and pay attention.

This isn’t a generational take on work ethic or a productivity rant in disguise.
It’s an honest question that deserves an honest answer:

What are we doing every day?

If you haven’t sat with this question lately, you need to.
And no, I’m not saying you should arbitrarily slash projects or cancel initiatives just to keep people happy.

I’m saying there’s a better way to take stock of what’s on your team’s plate.
A way to step back and ask: What’s truly worth it?

Enter: The Impact / Effort Matrix

Who knew that two little intersecting lines could unlock so much clarity?

SCIENCE!!

The vertical axis = impact (low to high)
The horizontal axis = effort (low to high)

Plot any project or task into one of four quadrants:

• High Impact / Low Effort → Quick Wins
• High Impact / High Effort → Big Bets
• Low Impact / Low Effort → Ankle Biters
• Low Impact / High Effort → Time Sinks

It’s brutally simple.
Which is why it works.

---

Do This Exercise with Your Team

Ask everyone to plot the top 10 things they spend time on in a typical week on their own matrix. You do it too.

Once plotted, observe the spread on your matrix:

• Where is most of your individual time going?
• Is the effort balanced among team members?
• Are you collectively stuck in the low-impact zone?

Start by zeroing in on the Time Sinks. Why are they there? If you can’t eliminate them entirely, can you reduce their footprint?

• Can you streamline or simplify the process?
• Can it be automated?
• Can someone else do it?
• Should it even be done at all?

Then look at your Ankle Biters—those little recurring tasks and random one-offs that pile up. Clearing out some of these can open up space for deeper, more meaningful work.

And don’t forget to manage the high-impact zones.
Chasing too many Quick Wins can give the illusion of progress while starving your Big Bets.
Likewise, never coming up for air from Big Bets means you’ll miss the turbo boost of an occasional win.

---

Pro Tip: The Manager Reality Check

After you completed the individual exercise, list 10 major projects or ongoing processes your office has completed in the last 6 months.
Have your team individually plot their perception of the same projects on one big team matrix.

Then compare plots.

• Are people aligned in their assessment of impact and effort?
• Are different roles impacted differently by the same project?
• Do their plots surprise you?

This conversation alone can spark meaningful dialogue around bandwidth, blind spots, and priorities.

---

Why This Matters

These exercises won’t solve all your bandwidth problems.
But it will give your team shared language and clarity. It shows that you’re listening and that you care about where their time and talent go.

And maybe more importantly, it helps you as a leader see the system you’ve helped create.

Because that’s the first step in changing it.

See it.
Then you can shift it.
And eventually—sustain it.

A version of this article also appeared on the NCMPR blog in Sept, 2025.