We all experience the desire to have more hours in the day or the wish to magically reduce our workload, which almost never happens, if anything, it is the opposite. Now I am by no means an expert in managing my workload, I don’t believe anyone is, but I have some methods that have helped me and maybe they could help you too.

1 – Minimise the number of locations your tasks are found

It makes it much easier for me to prioritise my workload when I can see my full list of tasks in 1 or 2 places, so I ensure that all my tasks are either in my emails or Personio. Teams message with a request? screenshot it and email it yourself. Asked something in person? Send yourself an email. This way, I don’t have to worry about remembering things, I can see all my open tasks in one place and that not only helps me prioritize but also helps me see when I need to say no or ask for help due to being at max capacity.

2 – Find what works best for you

Leading on from the above, you need to do what works best for you. It may not be keeping everything in your emails, you may want to use an app or excel to keep track your workload.  I find that I prefer sorting my emails by categories and then filing away any completed tasks whilst colleagues of mine prefer keeping everything in their inbox and flagging what they need to complete. All this to say, not everyone works in the same way but once you find what works for you, stick with it.  

3 – Know when to say no

I have had a journey learning when to say no, I don’t think anyone finds it easy. Sometimes, requests come my way that whilst I could help with, but either I don’t have capacity or they are too time consuming and I simply know I wont be able to achieve them in a reasonable timeframe. This is when I either have to say no, or pushback and set reasonable expectations for when the task will be complete.

4 – Be firm with your time

We all know people who will add a meeting into our calendars into any available spot, and it usually ends up being over lunch. Whilst it can seem more productive to work through your lunch, taking breaks throughout your day will help you re-energize and re-focus, boosting productivity and helping you work down your list faster. If you find yourself regularly working through your lunch, schedule it in and be strict with yourself taking it, you’ll notice the difference.

5- Ask for support

Even if you don’t have a large team, or any team, there will always be someone in your business you can reach out to for help. Having 1 or 2 tasks taken off your plate, or an extended deadline can reduce stress and make a world of difference when it comes to tackling the rest of that mountain of tasks.

Do you have any tips for tackling your workload? I’d love to hear more!