The three circles: involvement, influence and responsibility

Anyone who wants to work smarter will sooner or later realise that there is always more to worry about than you can actually do anything about. The model of the three circles — each slightly smaller than the previous one — can help you distinguish between all the things that land on your plate: can you do something about it yourself, or can you approach this issue differently?

Especially with people whose qualities spill over into their pitfalls — such as involvement, a sense of responsibility or perfectionism — you see that they take on too much and expend too much energy on things that do not lead to real results.

The three circles in practice

1. Circle of Involvement — This is where everything that affects you or that you worry about is located. Things like roadworks, the behaviour of others or emails that arrive late. You often have no influence, but they still cost you energy.
2. Circle of Influence — This is the layer where you make a difference. Think about how you collaborate, communicate, plan your own time, and make choices in how you approach your work. These are the things you can influence: you choose when to leave for an appointment and you decide when to process your emails. Whether someone else plans poorly is outside your circle of influence, but your communication skills in dealing with that person are not.

Below you can see the difference:

Circle of Responsibility – The smallest but most powerful circle. This is all about your choices, agreements and your own behaviour. How you organise your day, what you commit to, how you work — no one else has a say in this, only you.

So think carefully about this: am I going to make this my responsibility? Because the fact that you can do something is not the same as saying that you want to do it, or should do it.

Time = money = control over your circle

Your clock ticks the same number of minutes for everyone every day. If you spend it worrying about the weather, work pressure or other people’s behaviour, you are giving up your most important asset – your time – without any return. If you focus on your own influence and responsibility, you will gain control, energy and peace of mind.

Use the image as a reminder: in stressful situations, ask yourself which side your irritation or stress belongs to. Can you do anything about the situation? Yes? Then tackle it! No? Then focus on your own reaction, skills and choices.

Work smarter in three steps

1. Recognise what you cannot influence and let it go.
2. Invest in your own influence: practise cooperation and communication, consciously decide when to take action.
3. Be crystal clear about your responsibilities and always give them priority. This will yield immediate results – in terms of time, satisfaction and sometimes even hard cash.

If you take a moment each morning and evening to reflect on this division, you will quickly see the impact: less exhaustion, more done, and above all, more peace of mind. You don’t have to work harder to get ahead – you just have to choose more wisely what you do with your limited time and energy.

Good luck!

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Are you interested in having your team work smarter, but not harder? A workshop or training Enjoy your Productivity gives you a unique opportunity to reflect on the way the team organizes their work, both on an individual level and on a team level.   

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