Lately I find it very difficult to stay on top of all of the tasks on my to-do list.  It does not seem to matter how many hours I put in or personal time I give up the workload continues to grow.  A lot of my colleagues, and I am sure many of you, are feeling the same workload burden.  This current mission impossible work environment seems to be the result of two things:

1) Technology.  It’s a double-edged sword.  Information comes at a touch of a button, but communication continues at warp speed. 

2) Lean staff due to the economy.  Few companies have increased the number of staff and many have downsized over the last two years, but the workload did not decrease. 

We have virtually no control over the reasons why we feel like we are constantly playing catch up.  However, there are little things we can do to help bring the insanity back under control.   
 
1. Just Say No.
We all think that saying ‘no’ is bad.  In regards to being asked to attend a meeting, we feel obligated to accept (if there is no conflict with another meeting) because we think that it connotes a disinterest in what the other person is doing or has to say.  In reality, saying ‘no’ is better than sitting through a meeting not listening because you are thinking about all of the other things you need to get done.  Obviously some things we are unable to say ‘no’ to.  But for those things that do not directly affect your work goals, stop and think before immediately saying ‘yes’. Identify where this meeting would rank in your list of to-dos and if it is pretty low, just say ‘no’.

2. Schedule Time to Think.
When we have so many tasks staring us in the face the last thing we want to do is stop to “think”. We can think when we have fewer to-dos to check off our list.  But sometimes stopping to think is the best way to reduce your workload.  When we relax we are able be more productive.  Quit trying to push through with no stops.

3. Reward Yourself with the Easy Stuff.
We all do it.  When we dread something we spend a lot of time finding ways to postpone.  We can be our own worst enemies when it comes to getting things done.  The next time you have one of these dreaded projects come your way, stop thinking about it and just dive in.  Leave the easy stuff for last; it will be a reward to your overworked mind!

I am currently trying to be mindful of working these techniques into my own work life, and so far they seem to be helping.  If there are other techniques out there please share with the rest of us!  

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Work/Life Balance, Workplace. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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