'It shouldn't take much time.' You want to help, and saying yes feels easier than asking questions. A month later, the small commitment has become meetings, reading, drafting, and a deadline you didn't know existed.
The handbook cautions against overcommitting to service. A clear response begins with understanding the task and your capacity, rather than agreeing immediately or leaving a request unanswered indefinitely.
Ask about scope
What is the purpose, duration, expected output, and meeting pattern? How much work happens between meetings? Is there a busy period? Ask what the role requires when everything doesn't go according to plan.
These are planning questions, not a sign that you don't care about the work.
Check your existing commitments
Look at your assignment, accepted tasks, and upcoming deadlines. Include preparation and follow-through. A vacant hour on the calendar isn't necessarily spare capacity for another continuing responsibility.
If the request is part of required work, discuss how priorities should fit together.
Give a clear answer at an agreed time
You can say, 'Let me check my commitments and reply by Thursday.' Then follow through. If you can't accept, a respectful answer can be brief: 'I can't take on another committee role this semester.'
You don't need to provide a detailed account of every private demand on your time.
Discuss a bounded alternative when it makes sense
You might be able to review a document or contribute to a specific task instead of accepting the full role. Offer that only if it is genuinely workable and useful. Clarify the limit so a smaller offer doesn't quietly become the original commitment.
It is also reasonable not to propose an alternative when you don't have capacity.
Revisit expanding responsibilities
If a role changes substantially, raise the question. Explain the new work and ask about priorities, resources, duration, or distribution. Keeping the original commitment clear can help everyone see what changed.
Before responding to the next invitation, write down the task, expected time, and effect on something you've already promised. If one of those is unknown, ask. A dependable yes and a timely no both help shared work more than an agreement no one can sustain.
Adapted from The New Faculty Handbook by Zafer Unal, pp. 156-157.
