Leaders often get bogged down by small, unnecessary tasks, known as “ditties,” that drain focus and hinder strategic progress. To lead effectively, it’s essential to audit your time, set clear boundaries, delegate, and prioritize high-impact work. By eliminating these distractions, leaders can drive innovation, empower their teams, and focus on what truly matters.
How to Stop Drowning in Busywork and Start Leading
Author: Soren Kaplan
Leaders are under constant pressure to deliver results, manage teams, make strategic decisions, and navigate relentless change. But let’s get real—how much of what fills your calendar is actually making a difference? The hard truth is, many of us are drowning in “ditties”—the small, unnecessary tasks that don’t advance your goals, but somehow monopolize your time and energy.
Ditties are like quicksand for leaders. They drag you down, zap your focus, and pull you away from what matters most: strategy, growth, and leadership. These ditties often take the form of invisible labor—planning team lunches, organizing meetings, or taking on the uncredited emotional work that keeps everyone else on track but stalls your own progress—especially for women.
According to the authors of the book Ditch the Ditty (Onion River Press, 2025), Lindsey Godwin, Molly McGuigan, and Miriam Novotny, it’s time to ditch the ditties. For good.
What are ditties, and why are they holding you back?
Ditties aren’t the big strategic moves that drive your organization forward. They’re the busywork—the countless tiny obligations that creep into your day because saying no feels harder than just doing the task. These can look like:
- Accepting every meeting invite, even when it’s not relevant to you.
- Being the default note-taker, event organizer, or problem-solver for tasks that don’t align with your role.
- Taking on extra work to avoid conflict, guilt, or the perception of being “uncooperative.”
Individually, these tasks might seem minor. But collectively, they become a bottleneck, stifling productivity, creativity, and leadership bandwidth. Worse, they reinforce the perception that you’re better suited for support work than strategic work—a perception that disproportionately impacts women.
Why ditties are a leadership drain
If you’re spending your time on ditties, you’re not spending it where it counts. Leadership demands focus on the big picture: driving strategy, aligning teams, and inspiring innovation. Every minute wasted on a low-impact task is a minute you’re not leading.
The bigger problem? Ditties can erode your credibility as a leader. By defaulting to roles like “team organizer” or “problem-fixer,” you risk being seen as reactive rather than proactive. This limits your ability to step into higher-level opportunities and influence decision making at the strategic level.
Why women face a unique dilemma
Research shows that women are disproportionately saddled with ditties, especially in the workplace. They’re more likely to take on “non-promotable” tasks, like planning events or handling administrative work, while their male counterparts focus on high-visibility, career-advancing projects.
The result? Women often find themselves stuck in roles that don’t showcase their leadership potential. Breaking this cycle requires not just personal action but systemic change—redefining who takes on what tasks and challenging ingrained biases about roles and responsibilities.
Step 1: Audit your leadership focus.
To eliminate ditties, you need to identify where they’re hiding. Start by auditing your time.
- Look at your calendar: How much of your time is spent in meetings or activities that don’t align with your priorities?
- Review your task list: Which tasks could be delegated, delayed, or simply eliminated?
- Assess your energy: What leaves you feeling drained versus energized?
Be brutally honest. The goal is to separate the ditties from the must-dos.
Step 2: Reclaim your focus with strategic boundaries.
Eliminating ditties isn’t just about time management—it’s about mindset. Effective leaders know how to set and enforce boundaries. Here’s how:
- Say no without guilt: When faced with a task that doesn’t align with your priorities, politely decline. Try phrases like, “I don’t have capacity for this right now,” or “This isn’t something I can prioritize at the moment.”
- Delegate effectively: Leadership doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. Hand off tasks to team members who can handle them. It’s not just efficient—it’s a way to empower others.
- Protect your calendar: Block out time for deep, strategic work and stick to it.
This isn’t selfish—it’s how you deliver the highest value to your organization.
Step 3: Replace ditties with high-impact leadership.
Every time you ditch a ditty, you create space for something meaningful. Here’s how to fill that space wisely:
- Focus on your goals: Invest your energy in tasks that align with your strategic vision. Whether it’s mentoring high-potential employees, driving innovation, or strengthening team alignment, make sure your work reflects your leadership priorities.
- Elevate your influence: Use the time you’ve reclaimed to position yourself as a thought leader. Share insights, contribute to strategic discussions, and advocate for initiatives that align with your expertise.
- Empower your team: Teach your team to spot and eliminate ditties in their own work. This not only boosts organizational productivity but reinforces your role as a leader who invests in others’ growth.
Step 4: Build a culture that ditches ditties.
True change happens at the cultural level. As a leader, you have the power to set the tone for your team and organization. Encourage open conversations about workload, priorities, and the impact of low-value tasks. Challenge assumptions about who should take on certain roles or responsibilities. And most importantly, celebrate the strategic contributions of your team—not just the busywork.
Your leadership payoff
When you ditch the ditties, you don’t just free up your time—you amplify your impact. You gain clarity, focus, and the bandwidth to lead effectively. You model the kind of strategic decision making that inspires others to follow your lead. And you create space for innovation, growth, and the work that truly matters.
Great leaders don’t just get things done—they get the right things done. So, ask yourself: What are the ditties in your day, and what will you let go of to lead at your best?
Your next-level leadership starts with this simple question: Are you ready to ditch the ditties?
Credits: TCA, LLC.