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Feeling Overwhelmed? Here Are 5 Ways to Manage Your Workload Better

July 26, 2022

Every job has good and bad days, but sometimes we go through overwhelming periods where piles of work seem to require a lifetime to finish. You may have taken too much on your plate or maybe procrastinated on your way.

That’s when you realize you need to reflect and start looking at your work habits — on what’s working and what’s no longer serving you.

To help you manage your workload better and skip overwhelming work days, here are 5 strategies you should consider implementing.

 

1. Exercise your ability to say “no.”

 

Unfortunately and fortunately, you can’t do it all and you can’t do everything at once. You have to be realistic with the expectations you set for yourself and acknowledge you are human too.

It can be uncomfortable to say “no” at work in the beginning but it will help you produce more quality work. On top of that, it may seem counterintuitive but it will also make you more productive.

By saying “no,” you can focus more on what has to be done than add more to your to-do list and lower the quality of all your work.

Just be sure to say “no” politely and offer an alternative.

 

2. Estimate tasks.

 

Basically, time estimation will help you figure out how long it will take you to complete a task so you can set a realistic deadline and prevent tasks from piling up.

This will give you more confidence in your time management as well so you won’t feel intimidated with a long to-do list. You know you got your time managed!

 

3. Take time for planning.

 

It’s always a good idea to have a plan. It will help you work more purposely and make a move based on what you think will be the outcome.

Rather than rushing in to get started on tasks, take a pause to plot everything out. Having clarity on your tasks, your desired outcome, strategies, deadlines and possible roadblocks will help you in producing more quality work in a shorter amount of time.

Get a planner and create a list of everything that has to be done to plan your day ahead. Be careful, however, when it feels like you are already overdoing it. Sometimes, overplanning is a good disguise for procrastinating.

 

4. Focus on your biggest priorities.

 

Not everything on your list is urgent and a priority. You have to develop an effective system so you can focus more and have more time on the bigger tasks and stop consuming too much time on the smaller ones.

It will also help if you prioritize one task at a time so you can ensure full attention and work more efficiently before moving on to the next item on your list.

 

5. Get rid of distractions.

 

If you have trouble concentrating, you may need to look around or within.

Distractions hurt productivity and being unproductive leads to piles of work and eventually, stress or burnout.

Identify your distractions and work on eliminating them in your workplace. It can be your smartphone, your hunger pangs, a problem at home, a messy desk, or a noisy environment.

Leave the distraction behind so you can finish work early and have more time for yourself.

 

 

When you feel overwhelmed at work, you also slowly lose your confidence and belief. That’s when you feel intimidated to start even a very simple task. Eventually, your projects are starting to pile up and now you feel even more overwhelmed. It’s a cycle! Help yourself avoid or get out of this loop by practicing the five strategies on our list.

 

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