Simple steps to avoid (or even escape) the 50% trap

You are happy with your project, dedicating the right time, and having good results for you and the Company.

Or maybe the opposite… You don’t like your project and ask your manager to put you elsewhere.

Then they come up with this fantastic idea:

“Leandro, you will work now 50% on your current project and 50% on the new one.”

You are unsure why or how you would do that, but they sound so persuasive that you take it as if you were receiving a promotion.

Of course, you aren’t.

Your work, motivation, and performance enter a delicate situation at that exact moment. Anything can happen.

Let me explain it. But first, let’s review this old concept.

The Matrix Structure

There is a fancy structure (I can’t see anything fancy on it, but it has been around for decades) that is called Matrix Structure.

In short, you have multiple bosses with conflicting priorities.

But they use some PowerPoints to convince you that you have a career plan and immediate leaders for your activities, which will improve your life (they don’t say, but make you feel it).

It is more or less like this:

The 50%-50% trap is not exclusive to Matrix Structures. They just make the trap worse.

Your hours, attention, and responsibilities are now divided between your old and new bosses. And you can guess whose duty is to make everyone happy.

The 50% Trap

Reasons for falling into the trap are many, but we can reduce them to:

• A new project appeared, but they don’t want to hire someone else to work on it.
• You will move to a new project but can’t abandon your old one.

The rule is simple. From now on, you will participate 50% in your current project and 50% in the new one.

“So, for you, it’s the same. You are still going to work the same hours but on different projects”—that’s how they sell it to you—“And even better, because you will gain experience in other topics”—Checkmate, you bought it.

The above innocent arguments look good, but for some reason, we know we are making a mistake by accepting that.

What is hidden there?

Many things. Let’s highlight a few:

1. Even if you have some idle time in your current project, it is not 50%. That’s unlikely.
2. More important than time:
   • Responsibilities
   • Customers / Interactions
   • Problems
     How would you split them?
     Would you be 50% responsible for an activity?
     Would you 50% meet a deadline?
     Would you 50% lead a team?
     Your responsibilities, interactions, and attention demand will multiply.
3. The activities are not going to fit in your 50%. Imagine a waiter who is idle 50% of his time. One day, the manager assigns more tables to him. How would he handle the pick time? He will still be idle during the low concurrence hours and overwhelmed during the pick hours.
4. One extra activity you always assume in these situations is managing the priority conflict and fair sharing of your time between the projects.
   The above principles apply to any job. You need to know where it punches you.

The above principles apply to any job. You need to know where it punches you.

It is never about splitting but is always about adding.

That’s why I consider the 50%-50% deal a trap.

Can you escape?

Here comes the good news: Yes! You always can.

1. The first step is to understand what’s your trap. Use the points above to assess your situation. What are the unsplittable extras coming to your desk and life?
2. What’s your actual bandwidth? Track your time for a few weeks to see how you spend it.
3. Talk to your manager. Expose the data you collected. You have information. You can negotiate. It is going to be your choice.

Keep in mind that you are working under some conditions. And if your manager requests to change them, you can do the same.

If this is a transition period, ask for a plan on how and when the transition will finish. Then follow up with them.

Conclusion

Falling into this trap is extremely common. Sometimes, you only perceive it after being caught. But it’s never too late to assess your situation and speak up.

You can work on multiple projects as far as you choose.

You will gain strength and willingness to fight for better conditions once you understand and evaluate the downsides. And if you decide to accept it, it’s because you consider it the best option.

Good luck!!