Today’s tip: You can’t get the transformational change you want from the administrative tasks that consume your days
Are you tired of spending countless hours in Zoom meetings?
Or drowning in paperwork for funders?
It happens to the best of us.
We’re super busy but feel totally disconnected from the very problems we’re striving to solve.
If you’re yearning to make a tangible impact and break free from the Changemaker’s Paradox, then buckle up, because this blog is your ticket to refocusing your efforts, getting closer to the heart of the problem, and applying the lessons of systems thinking.
The passion for change
It’s a familiar tale.
We enter the world of changemaking with fire in our souls, driven by a deep desire to bring about meaningful change.
We envision ourselves on the frontlines, connecting with the people affected by the issues we’re passionate about.
But somehow, along the way, the daily grind of meetings and paperwork has engulfed our time, leaving us ineffective and frustrated.
According to a study by Workfront, American workers spend approximately 60% of their time on administrative tasks, such as email management, meetings, and other routine paperwork.
I call this the Changemaker’s Paradox.
It’s the tension between our overarching goal to improve issues like poverty, crime, and homelessness, and the day-to-day reality that only 40% of our work goes to primary tasks aimed at the mission.
We just want to work on the problem.
But, a lot of the time we’re lost in administriva and conversations with well-off people in philanthropy.
I believe it’s the low-grade stress of this disconnect – and not the hard work on the problem itself – that leads to burnout.
Can we break free from this paradox and focus more of our efforts on what truly matters?
“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives.” -Annie Dillard
Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion, holds valuable insights for us.
It’s a reminder that if we allow ourselves too much time for the philanthropy-nonprofit merry-go-round, we end up wasting precious hours that could be dedicated to higher-impact actions.
Now, let’s connect this insight with systems thinking—the holistic approach to understanding complex systems.
Systems thinking encourages us to consider the interconnectedness of various factors and understand the dynamics of everyone involved in social issues like poverty, crime, and homelessness.
It reminds us that our work on these problems is not isolated, but part of a larger system with intricate relationships and feedback loops.
One crucial part of that system is you, the changemaker.
You may not realize it, but you’re actually a part of the problem – one variable sending out influence to other variables in the ecosystem.
Now, before you get disheartened, let me explain.
As a changemaker, your actions, decisions, and perspectives have direct and indirect impact on the problem itself.
For example, imagine that your organization has raised a lot of resources for solving homelessness, but you’re stuck in endless virtual meetings with colleagues and mired in grant-related paperwork.
You never actually study the problem or interact with people directly experiencing homelessness.
It may feel like you’re disconnected from the problem, which you are, but your very disconnection has a number of impacts.
Let’s imagine some of the cascading effects and feedback loops:
- Funders may feel that their donations aren’t effective.
- Your organization may seek even more funds for staff to do all the burdensome grant writing and paperwork (and less for direct service).
- The homeless themselves may feel that their needs are secondary to the needs of organizations and staff working on solving homelessness.
Every action is a signal, and every signal informs future action.
Perhaps I exaggerate to make my point: Many of us are dissatisfied with a majority of our daily work even though we know it is inextricably linked to real-life outcomes.
Recognizing this is empowering because it means you have the agency to make choices about how you spend your time.
Like addressing the Changemaker’s Paradox head-on.
It’s not realistic to think that we can eliminate administrative or grant-related tasks from our schedules.
But 60% of our time is too much.
Can we reduce it to 50%?
Or even 20% (which would effectively double our time – from 40% to 80% – on mission-related work)?
Solving the Changemaker’s Paradox
Here are three practical tips to spend more time on mission-critical tasks and less time on meetings and administriva:
- Maintain Direct Engagement: Make a conscious effort to stay connected to the heart of the problem you’re striving to solve. Seek opportunities for direct engagement with the communities affected by the social issues you’re addressing. This can involve conducting field visits, participating in community events, or actively listening to the voices and experiences of those impacted. By maintaining direct contact, you gain valuable insights, stay grounded in reality, and ensure your efforts remain relevant and impactful.
- Convince Funders: Changemakers can proactively convince funders to minimize needless grant requirements by clearly articulating the value and impact of their work, showcasing concrete results and success stories that resonate with the funder’s goals. They can also engage in open and transparent communication with funders, highlighting the need for flexibility and trust to focus on the core mission rather than being burdened by excessive administrative tasks. Additionally, building strong relationships with funders based on shared values and long-term impact can help cultivate a deeper understanding and alignment, leading to a more conducive funding environment.
- Spend more time thinking about the problem: Adopt a systems thinking approach to understand the complex web of interconnections and underlying causes of the social issues you’re addressing. Here are six ways to get started:
It’s not easy, but I know you can spend more time here.
It’ll be one of the best choices you make.
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See you next week.
Whenever you’re ready, there are two ways I can help you:
→ I’m a strategic advisor for the toughest societal problems like poverty, crime and homelessness. People come to me when they want to stop spinning their wheels and get transformative, systems-level change.
→ I’m a coach for emerging and executive leaders in the social and public sectors who want to make progress on their biggest goals and challenges.
Let’s find out how I can help you become transformational.
