A Workplosion happens when you?re suddenly deluged by an unexpected amount of work that?s on top of your regular duties. This scenario can happen when someone leaves an organization/goes on vacation, when downsizing occurs, and when you?ve shown yourself to be competent and thus deserving of more work.
You feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and trapped by your job. How do you dig yourself out from the rubble of responsibility?
To Clear the Path of this challenge, you need to be strategic as well as honest with yourself. Try these tips the next time you feel overwhelmed:
The Time Trap
You may feel that the only way you can catch up with all of your work is to put in extra time. This can be a successful strategy in limited doses but the more you do it, the more tired you’ll become. You’ll start making mistakes because you’re no longer sharp.
Remember, the Greek messenger Pheidippides, who is credited with running the first marathon, died shortly after covering such a long distance without taking a break. Pushing yourself is good but you have to know your limits.
Prioritize the Work
An unending to-do list needs structure and order. Invest the time in figuring out what’s most important. Then, this is an important bit, do those tasks first.
It can be easy to only focus on the easy tasks or the low hanging fruit. While it’s fun to check these items off your list, they may not be the best use of your time.
Ask for Help
Just because you’ve been assigned work doesn’t mean you have to be the person who does it. It’s very likely that no one else in your organization knows just how much is on your plate. Don’t expect spontaneous mind reading.
If you can tell that the quality is going to suffer or the task won’t get done, you need to seek out assistance. You may not always get help but you won’t receive any if you never ask for it. Don’t let your ego undermine your performance.
Is It a Trend or a Habit
A certain amount of workplosions can be expected in any career. But if they become commonplace, you need to evaluate your options.
While today’s economy may not make you bold, effective leaders need to know about this challenge if it becomes the norm. Sometimes all you will receive is sympathy but you also give your supervisor the opportunity to shift some of your responsibilities to someone else. When all you’re doing is struggling to keep up with your work, you may never conceive that there could be another way to get the job done.
If your situation shows no sign of improvement, you need to either seek out more compensation or start looking for greener pastures elsewhere.
For negotiation, estimate your value to the organization in terms of the cost of replacing your position and losing your experience. This is a much stronger point than saying that you work too hard.
Some jobs carry murderous demands but are a necessary stepping stone to better positions. Put in your time and plan your next move. If you can survive repeated workplosions, you probably are someone who has a lot of talent.
