Extension careers are uniquely challenging for work/life balance. Extension professionals frequently work with stakeholders outside the university and spend a significant amount of time traveling to give presentations and build relationships. In consumer horticulture, an added stress is that most educational programming is scheduled for evenings and weekends. Overflowing email inboxes further compound the stress. High rates of exhaustion and burnout have been documented in Extension professionals. The problem is one of high demand and limited resources. Extension professionals are expected to navigate the problem of scarce resources by individually setting priorities and saying no to low impact requests. A new prioritization method will be introduced that is based upon real estate appraisal law. The highest and best use analysis can be adapted for setting priorities for the busy Extension professional regardless of career stage. This session will emphasize amending position descriptions to articulate clear boundaries, setting aside time to be physically and mentally rested, and prioritizing high impact projects. The highest and best use analysis is meant to be customized for each individual and takes into account unique traits such as introversion/extroversion, age, and topic expertise.
