Newsletter Article
Member Benefit
Published Fri Oct 14 2022
How often have you found yourself saying “just 30 more minutes,” but suddenly two hours have passed? It’s dark outside, you haven’t had dinner, and everyone else has logged off for the day. That’s called work overload, and it’s one of the primary reasons approximately 80 percent of the workforce struggles with professional stress. We’re not talking about the occasional too-full day. About half of those workers surveyed feel their stress has become unmanageable. If you find yourself in that boat, there are exercises that can help. First, understand that you can’t do everything by yourself, so be honest with yourself about what’s working and not working. It can be helpful to write small to-do lists for the day. Organize these lists, and ask if you’re on track to complete a task, if anything needs to be changed, or if something should be on someone else’s plate. Alarms and calendar alerts can be helpful in keeping things on course. Remember: The overall goal is to feel less overwhelmed, and managing tasks in bite-sized pieces is an important tool for that. Just as important, too, is defining your boundaries clearly for yourself and your co-workers. Avoid taking on work that will violate those boundaries, and make sure your teammates are aware of respecting your guardrails, as well.
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