Overwhelmed with work

Monday mornings tend to be a dreaded day for many people. When you click on your inbox Monday morning, it normally takes a few minutes to load all of your new emails. You probably have some emails from your boss or other management individuals asking for status reports on different projects. The emails alone are enough to frustrate people and make them overwhelmed with work within an hour of being there.

What happens when you get the phone call from your boss who wants to know what is going on with your projects? Do you dread that call because you have nothing to report? If you are in this situation, you are probably overwhelmed with your workload.

One of the best things you can do if you are overwhelmed with work is to ask for help. If you have people underneath you, delegate some of the responsibility to them. Ask your boss for help on the project, they can assign someone to work with you on the project to get it done faster.

Take a look at the pressure you place on yourself. Do you really need to send your boss 10 emails a day with different spreadsheets attached? If you have a micro-manager boss you probably do, but can you cut down the side of the reports? What about a boss that is laid back, do they even notice when you send them status report emails? Look at all the extra work you create for yourself and simply stop doing it.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by your job when you let it take over your life. If you are constantly coming in early, working through your lunch hour, and staying late to finish your work, its time to talk to your manager. If you don't talk to them about your situation, you will burn out quickly and find yourself looking for a new job. Managers often don't even know when their employees are overwhelmed because their employees rarely tell them. No one wants to look like they are incapable of doing their job so they don't want give-up any of the work that has been assigned to them.

Telling your boss that you are overwhelmed will actually build a stronger relationship with the two of you. Instead of waiting until you miss deadlines and your boss has to come lecture you, you are telling them in advance that you need help or else you will miss your deadlines. Ask your boss if you can delegate your work to co-workers you trust and respect. You may be in marketing, but the person that can really help you is in the distribution center, if you ask permission from your boss, this person will probably be flattered that you think so highly of them. It will also give this person a chance to show their skills to their boss and maybe move up the corporate ladder.

Some companies will hire college interns to help their overwhelmed employees. The interns will be able to help you get organized and can make your job easier. They may not be able to completely work on the project with you, but they can at least relieve some of the pressure and stress that you may be under.

If you are on the verge of breaking down, turn off your computer monitor and go outside for 10 minutes. Sit under a tree and just breathe. Lay down in the sunlight for a few moments and do not focus on your job. Only focus on the things that make you calm. Taking a few moments away from you job can help you re-focus and start anew with your projects.