by Victoria Travis
Lately, a number of my coaching clients are struggling with increased workloads. Many are finding it necessary to work weekends and into the evening hours. They are tired, frustrated and burned out. Life balance is a thing of the past. Their bosses are overloaded as well. They feel hopeless and victimized. There seems to be no way out.
If they speak up, they fear they will be seen as incompetent and weak, unable to complete their jobs and support the organization. When finally pushed to say something about the workload, they are often met with comments such as “welcome to the club.” They don’t feel heard, are afraid to speak up and retreat into silence and pain.
Does this feel like a familiar scenario? Suffering in silence is not the answer.
But first congratulate yourself!!! Overworked individuals often get that way because they are good at what they do AND because they get things done. Consequently, management gives them more responsibility.
Some things for you to remember:
- Your time and energy are not infinite. You are not doing your organization any favors by working yourself into the ground.
- Your feelings of incompetence and failure are all in your head. Don’t assume your boss wants to make your life hell. He/she may not even realize how much you have on your plate.
Here are a few strategies to help move you forward:
- Create a time to talk with your manager when they are energized. Acknowledge the pressures she/he must be under. Explain that you have A, B, C, D goals on your desk. You know how important all of them are and how they all must get done at some point. Ask what priority does he/she feel you should give each item. You are giving them the courtesy to make the decision on the priority of each assignment. Do have in mind however, which work is extraneous, how many goals are too many and where you think your efforts need to be focused. This way you can help guide the conversation and show your manager real leadership skills. You are being paid to judge and decide, not just do everything you are told.
- Your manager probably doesn’t know how much is on your plate. Create a list of all your projects. Some do it on Excel. Organize tasks based on areas of responsibility. For example: system administrator, network issues, accounting, business development. Color code to show what is back logged. In another section, list scheduled routines which are always current but can take up time. Put names of people next to tasks when they are counting on you to complete the task. Present this to your manager. They will realize you are on top of what you need to do but despite excellent time management skills, there are only so many hours in a week. Now your manager has a clearer picture of what is due and can back you up with others.
- Don’t push back if you’re the root of you problem. Determine if procrastination or other unproductive work habits are the reason you’re behind. Get some help around these issues.
- If your manager won’t prioritize your work, acknowledge that all the targets are important but you can’t do them all right now. Ask if others could take on some of the targets. You might even suggest someone to work with.
- When asked to do a new project, ask your manager the importance of this project in relationship to all your other projects: I’m not sure I can get all this done in the next two weeks. Can you help me prioritize? Have your list handy.
In closing, not all requests from your manager should be treated equally. Sometimes our managers can seem equally excited about a wide range of ideas. Some are vitally important. Others are just musings. It’s sometimes hard to tell. They need you to help them! Ask them!
Victoria Travis, MS, CPC, is a certified life coach who specializes in personal/business/career coaching for 30-55 year-old business professionals who are tired of living the same week over and over again. She helps them understand what makes communication so difficult and life so complicated. Together, they create workable strategies for dealing with life’s challenges. This is done one on one, telephonically, or in groups.
Contact Victoria by email: victoria@travisandassociates.com; or by phone: 720-535-6433.
