Tips for Eliminating Your Overwhelming Workload

Tips for Eliminating Your Overwhelming Workload

Working or searching for employment can already be a stressful experience, but if you also have to juggle other parts of your life, such as kids, classes, and social obligations, it can be overwhelming. The pandemic has only added an extra challenge, as many are learning to work remotely from home and taking on more tasks than they usually would in a day. Whatever your busy schedule brings, Express Employment has some helpful tips to reduce your workload and allow you to balance your work and your personal life.

Prioritize the Big Stuff

If you're feeling overwhelmed with the tasks piling up at work, start with the most important things on your list. Getting the more difficult and time-consuming matters out of the way earlier will allow you to tackle the smaller tasks later in the day or week without the stress of bigger projects over your head. Delaying your hard tasks causes you to expend your energy on the smaller tasks at the beginning of the day, leaving you drained when handling the more pressing jobs.

Split Up Your Day

The day is much easier to conquer when you only have to take it one section at a time. A long day ahead can be stressful to think about, so take the time in the morning to section out the day into parts: work for a certain amount of time on your to-do list, and then take a break for lunch before getting into your next set of tasks. Work for a bit longer, and then work in another small break for a walk around the neighborhood and a snack. Splitting up your day into pieces with breaks in between for rest will help you reset your mind and get back into work-mode with a clear head. Remember, do not skip breaks or meals to complete your work, as your health and wellness come first.

Take a Break

Feeling overwhelmed with work and life can result in a circle of anxiety, and it's easy to work yourself into a stressful or emotional state. When you start to feel yourself getting overwhelmed with your workload, take a break and step back. Think about the situation and assess if there's anything you can do to lighten the load. Take a look at your to-do list and see if there's anything you can reschedule or delegate to others. Spend a minute taking deep breaths before proceeding with your workday, or even go for a walk for a bit. Be patient with yourself, too. Working from home can make us feel like we need to have everything done instantly, but it's important to remember that you can only do so much so quickly.

Schedule Out Your Week

It's baffling how helpful it is to have a schedule ready for your entire work week on Monday morning. Working without a schedule can make you feel like you have to cram three days of work into one. This can make one day overwhelmingly busy while you're left with a slow day later in the week. Spend just ten minutes over the weekend writing down everything you have to do in the coming week, then split the list up into days. This will help you evenly divide up your work so that you can tackle it one day at a time, knowing you're in control of your workload and getting your list finished while avoiding undue stress.

So many components of life are already stressful, and a heavy workload is one more stressor that only adds to the difficulty. At Express Employment, we want to give you the tools to achieve your professional goals and thrive in your career. The first step to reaching those goals is making sure you feel well and ready to take on the workday. We hope our tips for dealing with an overwhelming workload help you do just that! Check out our website for more resources and information about careers and listings.