How do you cope when you’re overwhelmed at work?

[Stilloverwhelmed]

Fallen behind with everything. I’m doing a crap job, so overloaded with things that have piled up and are already well overdue.

The workload is no more than my colleagues have to do. They seem to be managing okay, don’t seem to be late with things or as stressed as I am.

I think this is a ‘me’ problem. I know I need to develop some systems to help me get on top of things that include taking breaks and working ‘smarter’ but it feels like I need room to breathe to actually put a system in place and right now I have no breathing space.

I am also demotivated and sad about all of this because I’m sure lots of people around me by now think I am crap. So part of me feels I’ve already blown it.

I’m sure I can’t be the only one who gets into situations like this. How have others sorted themselves out from this position?

(I don’t want to talk to my manager. Where I work you get support if you have an proper excuse ie illness or bereavement. If you’re just a bit crap (like me) you just become unpopular and seen as a weak link. I probably am already and can do without confirming this for my manager. I want to try and sort this out myself.)

Organisation is key here. I'm a chronic planner, I know exactly what work I'm doing, when I have scheduled my breaks for, and what needs doing even weeks from now.

My job is also very reactive, so I could have planned to do A, B and C today but then a life or death crisis happens so that take priority. But I just take a breath, deal with the crisis and then pick up my list giving it a reshuffle as necessary

I get quite confused when I'm really productive managing 30+ cases but my colleagues are floundering at 25 and complaining they need a break. My manager actually says she uses me as her barometer, if I say I'm busy and feeling the pressure then she knows its actually busy .

Maybe try rewarding yourself. If you get work piece A done, you get a cuppa and a break, work piece B and then lunch break etc.

I also like to physically write stuff down, as ticking the tasks off physically is so much more gratifying and rewarding than clicking the box on MS Outlook

Thanks everyone. I’ve made my list. There is no way I am going to be able to do everything by he time that I need to, and unfortunately I’m the only one that can do it, I can’t pass the work to anyone else. I have slotted everything into my diary that I can and I think I am just going to have to email some people tomorrow and let them know to expect a delay 😫

I am wondering whether I should consider going part time (4 days a week rather than 5). I could afford it if I cut back on things. But if I’m going part time in my mid 30s just because I can’t hack a full time job… sounds a bit pathetic? I don’t have children or anything else making life hard.

It’s rubbish isn’t it. Thanks for the solidarity and sending some back x

Then they need to hire aother staff member, they can't just have one person doing it all. What would happen if you went off sick?

When I’m feeling really behind I do a few hours work on a Saturday mornings - works for me as I wfh and I have no interruptions from other team members. Even if I don’t catch up, it really helps and doesn’t cut into my weekend too much. Reading through this post I’m going to categorise my to do list A, B, C, D from now on.

Something you can start right away is the headspace app. Download via the Google play store. (I know there are other similar ones out there, but I have used this one) I was sceptical at first - but, if you listen regularly, you might be surprised at how you naturally react differently (and more positively) to stressful situations over time. For context, I work two jobs over a 7 day period and also attend evening study classes, so I am always looking for ways to cope with it all! (Not easy) Also, try to get out and walk in your break(s) to clear your head and train your thoughts to be kind to yourself :-)
Whenever you feel like the pressure is building up, mentally congratulate yourself on the things you are doing well and set yourself small goals. Once you feel these are being accomplished, stretch yourself a bit more. At the end of each day, before you sleep - focus on the positives for that day and write them down! It's amazing how we can so often beat ourselves up, yet totally miss how amazing we have been!!
Sometimes when I am feeling overwhelmed, I just actually smile to encourage my mind to have a positive mindset. Most of all, don't be hard on yourself - you've got this champion!!

Make two lists. One of quick and easy tasks and one for bigger jobs.

Put each list in order of importance.

Some days I do just lots off the small job list. Easy wins make you feel good.

Normally I do a couple of small tasks to start the day then one big task. Then if I have time, finish off with a couple of quick ones.

Sometimes I just go for it with the big stuff. To clear the decks.

Writing the list means you don't forget things and you can clear your head and prioritise properly.

Crossing things off the list will give you a massive boost and sense of achievement.

I use the App called Trello which is free. It is lists on steroids. You can drag and drop tasks, colour code, move things around, assign dates and all sorts. You can also access it from your phone, iPad, lap top and desk top, and if you change it in one format it updates everywhere.

Good luck. It is horrible to feel like that.

My job tends to be very up and down with the workload and I only have 4 days to fit in what is essentially a full time job. I’ve actually moved my planning from a written notebook to my To Do list on Office because my notebooks got a little scribbly and I was failing to carry over unfinished tasks to the next day. I also appreciate the alert / alarm facility. To be honest when I’m busy I’m working until the essential tasks are done whatever the hours. As part of the team involved in the Queens funeral we all just worked through 12 / 14 hours a day - some people worked 14 days in a row. So I think if you haven’t got a pressing need to go home then a couple of late nights or weekend smashing through your backlog of tasks and more importantly working out your system will pay dividends.

I think it's the role of managers to offer support to people who seem to be struggling or overwhelmed. While some people do struggle to keep up, even more people struggle without appropriate support.

I cope by keep a running to do list. I cross things off as I go, rather than having a list each day. I can then scan the list and see which things on the list I can fit into the time frame/have the strength to do at that minute. If I have five emails to reply to, one might be 5 minutes to give some advice while another might be extremely contentious so I need time to draft it very carefully!

The other ways I have coped when things were really tough were crying (at work), booze (after work) and leaving my job for another. The latter was the most effective by far!

I'm a big fan of holding emails. I'll often shoot off an email letting people know I have seen their email but am a bit snowed under so I will get back to them next week.

Don't multitask. Concentrate on one thing at a time.

How new are you to the job? I've heard a lot my peers in teaching/ health care saying they've had a huge exodus of experienced staff (due to working conditions)and an influx of new inexperienced staff who don't know what 'good' looks like as they've never been fortunate enough to see it. They've these jobs which are at crisis point by they don't know that. No one speaks up but people silently feel they are failing.

I would recommend 'smart but scattered' a book about executive function. Good even if you are doing ok to understand yourself.

However the route course of the problem could be the system.