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The organization has gone through massive downsizing. Or there have been lots of resignations. Or vacant positions just have not been filled. What do you do when you’re facing huge overload and you’re one of the employees who remain?

  1. Talk about it with your manager. Don’t assume they already know you’re over your head in work. You can tactfully discuss organizational priorities. Recognize that you can’t do it all, and have a conversation about what work gives the biggest payoff for team and/or organizational goals. Come with your own solutions and be sure to listen to the manager’s input.
  2. Set healthy boundaries. Your life matters, too, so create mutual understanding around your work hours, communication method(s) and hours (between 8 and 5, for example),  and how new work fits into existing priorities. Be realistic about what you can and will do.
  3. Hang in there. This situation is largely out of your control, so make sure you don’t exert much emotional energy worrying about it. Try CIMA to help you calibrate to what is really going on. This is a long game, with no clear end in sight.

If you are one of those empty-the-email-inbox-daily people, it’s time to let that go. You’re only going to have time to work on the critical few things that truly make a difference. Pause daily to celebrate small wins and things you’ve accomplished. You deserve that and more.

Photo by Olga Serjantu on Unsplash