{"id":90187,"date":"2023-01-23T16:14:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T20:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=90187"},"modified":"2023-02-10T16:51:32","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T20:51:32","slug":"overwhelmed-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/overwhelmed-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Overwhelmed at Work? Do These 3 Things "},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you overwhelmed at work? Do you find it difficult to keep up with everything on your to-do list<\/a>? Do you often find yourself working to the point of burnout? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working hard is essential, it\u2019s also important to find the proper balance between work and rest<\/a>. In other words, you should work hard\u2014but not to the point of exhaustion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, here are some strategies to help you adjust your workload without compromising performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Overwhelm at Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Significant changes to daily life in the last half-century have overloaded people with work and personal responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, most people\u2019s jobs are no longer restricted to the hours of 9 am to 5 pm nor to the confines of the office. These days, people are always on call via phone and email, and the effects of globalization mean you could be working with people nine time zones away. There are no boundaries to your workday, so it\u2019s easy to become overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the nature of work has changed from more industrial, assembly-line type work with clear, visible tasks to so-called knowledge work<\/a> with much more ambiguously defined projects. Previously, you knew what your task was (for example, assemble these parts) and you knew when it was done. Now, one task can eat up a lot of your time because there\u2019s no clear signal when you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, modern life requires near-constant communication with more people. Most organizations require increasing interdepartmental collaboration, so workers are no longer limited to their specifically defined roles and departments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: Getting Things Done
\nAUTHOR: David Allen
\nTIME: 46
\nREADS: 379.6
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/getting-things-done-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: getting-things-done-summary-david-allen
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Reduce Overwhelm at Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the rampant pace of modern work, being overwhelmed with the demands and responsibilities of our jobs has become the new normal. But it shouldn\u2019t be. Here are some things you can do if you\u2019re feeling totally overwhelmed at work: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Improve Your Effectiveness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people claim that they\u2019re overwhelmed at work and that they have to work to the point of burnout to accomplish everything they\u2019ve been asked to do. However, for many people, their problem isn\u2019t the workload. It\u2019s their effectiveness<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Peter Drucker, most workplaces and individuals alike are too focused on being efficient rather than effective. Efficiency is getting a lot of things done, while effectiveness is choosing and getting the right things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed<\/a> at work, ask yourself: Are you focusing on being efficient or effective? Chances are it\u2019s the former. This is not to say that aiming for efficiency is bad. Rather, it\u2019s that both and your company will be better off if you prioritize effectiveness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book The Effective Executive, <\/em>Drucker suggests five practices for improving your effectiveness: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1)<\/strong> Manage your time<\/a>:<\/strong> Know exactly how you\u2019re using your time. Work diligently to manage the limited amount of your time you can control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)<\/strong> Focus:<\/strong> Concentrate on a few high-impact tasks\u2014areas where you can produce excellent results\u2014one at a time. Set priorities and stick with them, ignoring distractions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3)<\/strong> Make your unique contribution:<\/strong> Focus on what you personally can do to significantly impact company performance and results. Ask yourself what results<\/em> you need to produce rather than what tasks you need to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Maximize strengths:<\/strong> Build on your strengths and those of the people around you, including your boss, to enhance their contributions and thus, the organization\u2019s performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5)<\/strong> Make sound decisions:<\/strong> Focus on making only a few key decisions following a systematic process. Don\u2019t strive for consensus but make a judgment after exploring a full spectrum of opinions, especially dissenting opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These practices are interconnected, and they revolve around strategic thinking and prioritizing\u2014that is, determining the highest-impact things you can do and making sure you get them done. Practices 1, 2, and 5\u2014managing your time, doing key tasks, and making good decisions\u2014all involve prioritizing; maximizing<\/a> strengths (practice 4) requires knowing your unique contribution (practice 3) because it likely will relate to a strength. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: The Effective Executive
\nAUTHOR: Peter F. Drucker
\nTIME: 49
\nREADS: 132.9
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/the-effective-executive-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-effective-executive-summary-peter-f-drucker
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Set a Budget With Your Boss for \u201cShallow Work\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most activities that contribute to effectiveness will require what Can Newport (Deep Work<\/em><\/a>), calls \u201cdeep work\u201d\u2014focused, uninterrupted, undistracted work on a task that pushes your cognitive abilities to their limit. He contrasts it with \u201cshallow work\u201d\u2014tasks that are time-consuming yet not cognitively demanding\u2014like answering emails and attending unproductive meetings. Shallow activities like that don\u2019t tend to add much value; they only add to your workload and contribute to the feelings of overwhelm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your employer has expectations requiring a lot of shallow work (e.g. email response times), Newport recommends having a conversation with your boss about your schedule: <\/p>\n\n\n\n