When I entered the nonprofit world four years ago, I heard the phrase, “and other duties as assigned.” Everyone used it. Sometimes laughter followed; other times the tone implied frustration. I accepted it, regardless, right away.
Gratefully, I worked almost exclusively with nonprofit organizations in the last four years -- and continue to do so now. In those experiences, I took on “other duties as assigned” often. I ran a city-wide, emergency food pantry as a new work-study student. I developed training and planning manuals for national use while managing my own projects as an unpaid intern. Once, for weeks, I doubled my commute to lead the operations of a rural office despite not holding a management position or having much training for site-specific programs.
I want to work with problems & solutions; in discomfort & challenges; and for those with a desire to learn & grow.
That work (and plenty more) served others. So many others. But I always reached the point of losing engagement, or having uncomfortable meetings about needing fewer tasks (despite the ability to take on more), or leaving the position.
I often pondered, “Everyone else is doing this -- doing more, even! Why can’t I?”
Then it hit me: I wasn’t serving myself.
I highly value the opportunity to serve others. I intend to consistently work in or with the nonprofit sector. One day, I want to serve college students as a creative nonfiction professor, sharing the power of using words to tell stories of underrepresented populations. I want to work with problems & solutions; in discomfort & challenges; and for those with a desire to learn & grow.
To practice those values, I learned that I must commit to prioritizing requirements & interests; advocating for my needs/limits/time; and saying no when I need and want. In the anecdotes above, I committed to the responsibilities because of the interests I had. I learned from my experiences, and I challenged my ability belief system. Alas, I rarely felt that I could change my mind -- that I could one day say, “I am thankful for what I’ve done, but my time is up,” or, “I need to try something new; how about ___?”
I falsely believed that committing to something meant forever.
Now I know that changing one’s mind is part of growing. I learned that the process deserves praise just as much (if not more) as the task. I know that my needs, limits, and time adjust often. And I know that respecting those facts serves me.
Caring for ourselves not only strengthens our abilities, but also it encourages others (both collectively and individually) to grow and speak up, too. For instance, having open conversations about what I need has led to a stronger understanding of others about what’s actually needed and being completed. Last week, I thanked someone for asking me to assist with a project of theirs (that I have interest in) and concluded with, “I will see what time I have outside of my projects.” It’s not that easy at first, but we can all get there.
In the end, helping ourselves is the best way to help others. If we overcommit, we underperform. If we stretch too thin, we snap. If we never say no, others will always expect us to say yes. That will not lead to happiness or success. And those are the goals… let achieving those be your other duties, now assigned.