EXPERT PRACTICE

Expert Practice Tool Belt

Making Space for Work That Matters Most

A reflection workbook for subject matter experts

The key idea: This is not about squeezing more into your day. It is about making deliberate choices about where your expertise is most valuable, and creating space for work that matters most to you, your organisation or community.

Your reflections stay with you. This workbook does not submit, transmit or save your responses. When finished, use the button at the bottom to prepare a PDF and save a copy to your device. If you leave this page before saving, your answers may be lost.

2Where is your expertise going?

Think about the last two weeks. Write two or three examples in each column.

Work that needs my expertise

Complex judgement, difficult decisions, interpretation, problem solving, influence.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

Work that uses my time but does not depend on my expertise

Routine follow-up, meetings, admin, fixing, work others could learn or own.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

3Spot the expert trap

Which of these thoughts most often keeps you overloaded?

“I could delegate but it is usually quicker if I do it myself.” “If I start saying no, I worry it will impact my credibility.” “I am the go-to person, which means I’m constantly interrupted.” “I want to work on more strategic projects, but can’t because of my workload.”

“My manager thinks I’m the safest pair of hands.” “If I push back, my relationship with that person will suffer.” “I have more work allocated to me than is possible to do within reasonable working hours.” “I get frustrated when managers can’t see the benefits of my ideas.”

Reflecting on your responses to questions 1, 2 and 3, what patterns of behaviour make it most difficult to work on what matters most?

Turn one insight into one experiment. Do not redesign your whole working life. Choose one pressure point and test one practical change.

4Choose your lever

Choose the type of change that will create the most useful space for your expertise.

Protect

Where does my expertise create the most value?

Protect a weekly 90-minute focus block in your calendar
Block time for important work
Block a weekly meeting-free half-day
Check emails/messages at set times, not continuously
Turn off notifications

Reduce

What has become unnecessarily dependent on me?

Delegate a task or responsibility
Start coaching or mentoring a colleague
Decline meetings where your expertise is not required
Ask for a clear purpose or agenda for meetings
Create FAQs or a shared knowledge resource

Renegotiate

What expectations need to change so I can apply my expertise where it matters?

Try saying no, or not yet
Negotiate deadline, scope, detail or quality
Stop being a perfectionist
Ask for clearer priorities
Challenge colleagues to try things first
Say “I can’t help you right now” when needed

5Design a two-week experiment

Make the change small enough to try, but concrete enough to notice.

For the next two weeks, I will…Describe the new behaviour in one sentence.

To create space, I will…What will you protect, reduce or renegotiate?

I need to say this to…Who can help you? Who needs to know, and what will you tell them?

I will know it is helping if…What observable difference would tell you the experiment is useful?

What am I worried about?What might be a negative consequence of this experiment?

6My first step in the next 48 hours

I will: By when:

Strong expert practice is not doing everything yourself. It is applying your expertise where it creates the greatest value — and deliberately creating capacity everywhere else.

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