Being Overworked Can’t Continue

Stop Being Overworked

Being overworked is one of the biggest complaints I hear from my clients when we first begin on our journey. That feeling is smothering. You just don’t feel like you will ever get out from under that ever-increasing workload.

I get it.

Your to-do list keeps growing no matter how hard you work at whittling it down. It seems like every time you accomplish one task, two more appear. By the end of the day you feel as though you have accomplished nothing. And it begins again the next day.

One Cause of Being Overworked

Being overworked can be the result of many things. One of them is poor management. Your boss really doesn’t understand what it is you do. Your job may have been in existence before this boss came along. The boss never took the time to fully understand what it is you must do.

That misunderstanding leads to the boss giving you additional tasks without understanding how that impacts your performance.

You Have Options

What do you do in that situation? You have options .You can endure being overworked until it reaches the point you either quit, get fired because you aren’t getting everything done in a timely manner or you start to get physically ill over it. Let’s face it, you are already having negative thoughts. It is affecting your attitude at home and at work. It is already taking a mental toll on you.

It doesn’t have to be that way. That is where the courage to be confident and the confidence to be courageous enters the picture.

It Is Not Whining

Telling someone that you are overworked is not whining. It is stating a fact. Every organization works better if it deals with the facts. And the fact is that you are not getting the work done because you are overworked. That is not your fault. That is a problem created by management.

Take some time and organize what it is you are going to say and how you are going to approach your boss. Rather than go to the boss and complain, approach the boss with an attitude that you are going to help solve an operational problem. Ask the boss if you can share some observations.

Prioritize the things you do best. Then make a list of the things that detract from getting these done. Ask yourself these questions.

Does This Need To Be Done?

Are those tasks even necessary?

Could they be done by someone else; maybe someone more skilled in that area?

Could the tasks be distributed among a few other employees?

When you have the answers to these questions approach your boss with the confidence that you are making a constructive suggestion that will help the department, whatever that is, look better and be more productive.

Keep An Open Mind

Listen, with an open mind, to what the boss has to say. If your suggestions are adopted in whole or in part, you have contributed to the overall health of your organization. If they are totally rejected it may be time for you to start looking elsewhere for employment before it takes too much of a toll on you.

If you feel you are overworked and undervalued and are really ready to make some changes in your life, contact me. I can give you the tools you need to get that done.