Did you know that Karoh-shi is the Japanese word meaning “death by overwork,” and it’s recognized as a cause of mortality?

Alex was hired into a position of significant organizational authority. New to this role, he could say “no” to no one, and he devoted the majority of his waking hours to his work—trying to quickly make a name. Unfortunately, he also held others to this standard and publicly berated those who failed to do so. It got to the point, over time, where nervous breakdowns, anxiety attacks, and increased absenteeism and turnover on his team became the rules—not the exceptions.

Despite numerous interventions by head of human resources and threats by the CEO, Alex’s promises to amend his ways were empty. In fact, he pushed himself and those remaining even harder. As further consequence, not only did his once-promising career suffer a major setback (as he was eventually terminated), but also his largely ignored personal life also crashed and burned. Three marriages, children with significant drug issues, legal mishaps, ethical lapses, and health concerns all transpired. Ultimately, he relocated to other pastures, running from a closet full of skeletons.

Alex’s mistakes were many, but the root cause of his problems was his inability to identify and focus on what should have been his main concerns.

While it sounds easy to prioritize your time and attention, it’s not. Many parties and interests, in many directions, are pulling at you during times of change—inside and outside of work. This is why you must be concerned with where and how you’re spending your time.

Where your time is spent may be addressed with a threefold approach.

First, take a brief personal inventory of how you spend your time—on and off the job—from the alarm clock’s call. Allowing time for eating, grooming, and some basic chores, you may be surprised at some of the findings when you look at a week’s snapshot.

Second, on a daily basis, make a to-do list—ranking activities in terms of importance and urgency, and allowing some time for crisis management. Anticipate deadlines and practice self-discipline. Try to stick to the list. This can keep you on task and give you a sense of accomplishment as activities are completed.

Third, on a longer term basis, avoid spreading yourself too thin by making an index card your best friend. On this card, list your key five or six current life priorities (family, work, school, professional development, gym time, piano, fishing, and so on) and place the card in a visible place by your desk. Refer to it frequently. If where you are spending the majority of your time isn’t on or related to this prioritized list, why are you doing it?

You may actually find this index card exercise to be personally invigorating, particularly if you involve others in the creation process.

As far as how your time is spent, you need to manage peaks and valleys (everything can’t be a fire drill) and hone your skills of delegation.

Delegation is critical. It helps you develop your team and ultimately plan for succession. It also helps people grow and become motivated. Finally, it helps you balance your workload, as well as others’.

To delegate effectively, you must be comfortable in giving up control (though not responsibility) for a task. You must also have confidence in the ability of others to help. Like all areas of performance management, this involves assigning the task, setting expectations, providing resources, outlining timetables, and establishing feedback loops.

Delegation initially works best for simple tasks. As your faith and confidence grow in others, you may delegate more complex assignments. Be sure to ask the individual if she’s comfortable with the responsibility and authority that you’re giving. Your range of delegation runs the gamut of asking someone to analyze a situation to having her determine and implement the corrective measures necessary.