A few years ago I was sitting with a friend at a coffee shop. I mentioned to him that I was thinking of volunteering to be the president for my condo board. He listened carefully, then he asked me:  “Do you have the capacity?”

What is capacity? A quick Google search defines capacity as “the ability or power to do, experience, or understand something.”

To me, determining if I have the capacity means three things. It means do I have the time, money and experience required to be successful in the new role I am considering?

Do you have the time?

When evaluating if you have the capacity to take on a new role or a new project, a good place to look is your schedule. How much time do you have each week?

• How much of your week is taken up by your job?
• How much time do you commit to volunteer roles and activities?
• How much time do you need for chores, grocery shopping, etc?
• How much time will you spend with family and friends?
• Do you leave time for yourself?

Make sure you have enough time in your life when you consider taking on a new role or project. If you take on too much, you will become overburdened and all areas of your life could suffer as a result.

For example, when I first discovered how much I enjoyed volunteering for leadership roles in Toastmasters, I got carried away and took on too many roles. I volunteered as an officer for my Toastmasters club. At the same time I also volunteered as a leader for my Toastmasters District. I even ended up being a member of four different Toastmasters clubs at the same time!

Clearly I was in over my head. As a software developer by day, this left only evenings and weekends to pursue my volunteer commitments and hobbies. Being a member of four Toastmasters clubs and serving in two different volunteer positions at the same time was not a good idea. It was a recipe for burnout.

Do you have the money?

When considering a new role or project, you also need to ask if you can afford it financially. Is there travel required? Do you have to spend money to acquire the resources you need for your new role or project? Are there any other fees or costs involved?

A budget is a valuable tool. You can track how much money you have available each month. You can also track how much you are spending. Defining categories for your budget lets you see how much you need to spend each month in those categories.

When you have a budget, you can learn what your financial capacity is. When you review your budget, you can see how much money you have left after required expenses have been made.

Use your budget when when you are  deciding if you can take on a new role or project in your life. If it will break the budget and put you into financial hardship, it is better to say no than to take on a financial burden you cannot afford. Also remember to budget for savings. If you spend all your money on required expenses and hobbies, but you neglect your savings, where will you be in the future when an emergency requires you to have extra money available or when it comes time to retire?

Do you have the experience?

When evaluating a new opportunity, it is also important to consider your experience. Will your current skill set and knowledge allow you to be successful in your new role or project?

If you lack the required knowledge and skills, how can you gain them? An entry level position can be a good place to start if you lack the required skills, or you could seek out a mentor to help you learn your new role. You could also invest time in reading, practicing at home and/or taking courses to develop the skills you need.

For me, it was a trial by fire when I first volunteered for a leadership role in my Toastmasters district. I signed on as an area governor, which meant I was in charge of supporting a group of Toastmasters clubs.

I knew nothing about leadership going in. I was probably not the best choice for the position because I knew nothing about running a Toastmasters club. Fortunately for me, Toastmasters is an educational organization and there were leaders in the organization who mentored me and helped me learn how to be an area governor.

If this had been a job instead of a volunteer position in an educational organization,  I probably would not have succeeded in my role. Employers expect their staff to be able to perform the job they are hired to do.

Conclusion

I have learned the hard way that it is important to ask myself the question, “Do I have the capacity?”, when I am thinking of volunteering for a new position or starting a new project. Answering this questions means determining if I have enough time in my schedule, enough money to cover required and unexpected expenses, and the experience required.

Asking this question in the past could have saved me a lot of stress. It would have allowed me to keep my commitments to a manageable level. Fortunately for me, my friend asked me the question, “Do you have the capacity”, which caused me to rethink if I could manage being a condo board president in addition to my other roles. Looking at the big picture I realized I did not have anymore room in my already busy life, so I decided not to pursue another volunteer opportunity that I did not have the capacity to handle.

What new opportunities are available to you? What new role are you thinking or pursuing? Before you make a decision, ask yourself this question:

Do I have the capacity?