Other people’s capacity (OPC), like “other people’s money (OPM),” is a topic that we frequently notice and care about. We want others to do things that we want them to do; we work to enroll them in our visions of the future; and try to sell them and convince them that things can be different.

All of these kinds of approaches involve “how much” of something the other person has: time, resources, interest, curiosity, health – and, of course, the other person is the only person who really knows his or her capacity for giving of these.

What is your style for engaging a dialogue about OPC? Are you aggressive or, alternatively, are you someone who rarely mentions OPC? Think about how you would like others to engage your capacity and their requests about engaging it, and then revisit your own guidelines about how to best engage others.

What have been your best strategies for dealing with overwhelm when your capacity has felt overburdened? Tougher times like these can test anyone’s resolve and ability to pull through.

One of the ways to deal with taking on too much is to remove what is not mission critical. Make a list of any activity that is not directly contributing to your health and well-being in any area of your personal and professional life. Then prioritize by grouping A, B and C all of the activities – and systematically eliminate as many of the C’s as you can.

Feelings of overwhelm can feed on each other, so it’s useful to avoid “piling on” and making a case for feeling even more stressed and overwhelmed than you felt with the first feeling.

What strategies have worked for you? Have you ever had the experience of expanding your capacity, only to find yourself overwhelmed again? What underlies that dynamic?