Feeling overwhelmed in the workplace is incredibly common. It’s not just something new hires experience, either. The constant pressure to produce, innovate, and achieve can wear anyone down. When your to-do list is long and you find yourself struggling, you need a strategy.
Here’s how to get back on your feet to get it all done!
6 Strategies for Regaining Control in an Overwhelming Workplace
#1 – Recognize the Reality
First things first, we’ve got to recognize that it’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed. You’re not an outlier, a failure, or bad at what you do. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s not usually because we lack the ability to accomplish our tasks. It can be as simple as the mounting pressure to succeed, a “crunch” period, or a series of distractions and disruptions.
Regardless, know that you’re not alone in your struggle. There’s no shame in feeling overwhelmed every now and again. How you cope and break through is what matters most.
#2 – Create a Map
When you’re juggling a host of loosely related or complete unrelated tasks, keeping it all straight is a challenge. You’ve got to know not only what you have to do, but when you need to do it – and what deserves the most time and energy. It’s not always enough to keep a traditional to-do list, so map it out instead!
A visual reminder not only gives you something to quickly reference, but it alleviates the strain on your brain to sort through it all on-demand. Get that information out so that it’s not taking up valuable mental space.
Your map may look like a brainstorm session: large categories representing overarching tasks connected to each sub-task. Group related tasks together and you’ll be able to see where you can knock out the proverbial birds with one stone!
#3 – Settle Your Priorities
You’ve got to determine where you are most effective. You might be getting so lost in the size of the task that you don’t realize how important – or unimportant – it really is. Not everything has to get done. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you don’t allow some things to float. After all, we only have so much time in the workday. You want to use that time wisely.
Classify your tasks in a way that makes sense to you. Nail down critical deadlines, determine tasks that can be delegated, and arrange all the moving pieces. At the end of the day, you can let some things fall through the cracks – but not the things that matter most.
#4 – Knock Out the Small Stuff
You might feel overwhelmed simply because your list is too long. Just remember that not every task on our list is earth-shattering. It might seem like you should tackle those big-ticket tasks first, but you may want to knock out little tasks that take you five, maybe ten minutes to do. Not only will this cut down on the length of your list (thus allowing you to better focus), but it will help you feel like you’ve got forward momentum. If it’s easy, just take care of it.
When a bunch of small things aren’t living rent-free in your brain, you can dedicate yourself more fully to accomplishing the big things successfully.
#5 – Produce a Tangible Result
In entrepreneurship, many things are conceptual. You aren’t necessarily creating a deliverable, and that can cause you to feel as though you’ve wasted time. But brainstorming, innovation, and conceptualizing aren’t a waste. You’ve just got to make your progress tangible. Jot down thoughts from your brainstorming session. Write a memo. Compose a workflow or create a budget.
Develop your next steps. There’s plenty you can do to create tangible results from hard mental work!
#6 – Take a Break
When you’re feeling like there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it, a break is probably the last thing on your mind. But you still need to take breaks. Humans weren’t wired to multitask. If you want to flow from one task to another efficiently and effectively – without sitting in a brain fog or a non-starter situation – take a break.
Dedicate ten or fifteen minutes between tasks and get away from your computer screen. Get yourself a beverage, stretch. Take a short walk. Whatever it is that helps you mentally reset and prepare for a new challenge!
How do you approach an overwhelming work environment? Share your tips in the comments.