Something’s gotta give. New research shows that employees are exhausted to the core. The stresses of the workplace are so far beyond the good ol’ days. Remember when we used to take lunches together every day off site? Me neither. Well, it’s been a long time, anyway.

And trends have a way of, well… trending. The load isn’t likely to lighten anytime soon.

As a leader, how do you help keep your people sane and continue performance breakthroughs?

Start by getting rid of the pointless obligations that cost time and effort without producing results. I call this a radical obligectomy, and it’s a do-it-yourself operation. Start by making not a “to-do” list, but a “get rid of” list. Better yet, get your people thinking of their own “get rid of” lists.

Giving your people permission to slash and burn anything that isn’t getting new customers or making the experience great for a customer helps to keep them focused externally. In a world where organizations constantly shift back to the internal minutiae of spreadsheets, unnecessary reports, unnecessary meetings, and frivolous projects that don’t fit the strategies… well, that’s when it’s time for spring cleaning, no matter what season it is.

Just make sure they’re clear that you’re in business to constantly upgrade the quality of your customers, to find new ones, and to take great care of ones you have. Those things never get cut.