how to reduce workload overwhelm and get out of a reactive state.

The pressure of a to-do list that never shrinks is a very real stressor so many of us face in our work.

In my corporate career I'd frequently see leaders, middle management and assistants drowning in work, focused on the wrong things, doing long hours and on the fast track to burnout.

It’s a slippery slope to be in and getting out of the weeds and the reactivity state can feel impossible when the balls will not stop flying at you.

Competing demands, conflicting priorities, expectations that aren’t adequately managed, and days that are filled by being in meetings where the ‘doing’ can’t happen means the pressure can feel relentless.

This is a bad place to be, because when we're in that state, being able to focus on strategic work becomes nearly impossible.

This means we're not having the level of impact we otherwise could.

We can only be focused on the burning platforms and the issues that need immediate attention, not the work that sets us up, as well as our teams, for long term success.

So what to do if you find yourself in a state of overwhelm, behind in your work, and feeling that you can only scratch the surface?

Get your workload into a state that is so well planned for the known, that the unknown will not derail you. 

The unknown is never going to stop coming at us, but being well planned for the known means high impact work will not stop. 

Here is a simple formula to help you regain control and be able to view the horizon.

• Start by stepping away from your workload completely. 

• Review your to-do list with a critical eye. 

• Redirect work that's not yours. 

• Discern between important and urgent so you can prioritise accordingly.

• Next review the horizon - what is coming up? Look 2 months to the future.

• Now plan backwards - how much space will you need to manage the known comfortably? 

• What expectations can you manage now to ensure the known is on track?

• Cut out everything in the schedule that's a distraction, non-urgent and not a value-add. 

• Next recut your to-do list in priority order. 

• Manage expectations around delivery, sense check time frames.

• Now start working again.

Depending on your workload, this process could take anywhere between an hour and a day to assess. 

It can feel like there isn’t enough time to stop and take stock, but it’s worth the pause and creates relief for the future. 

This process should be done regularly - a simple audit of where you’re at, what’s coming, where you need to be, and the time it will take to get there.

The effort creates much needed ease and makes heavy workloads far more manageable.

If you need support with this, chat to me about consulting where I help your organisation create more ease and flow and less stress. 

We also get into this in The Elite EA Academy - there’s a whole module on removing friction points and a bank of cheat sheets, best practices and mapped out processes to support. 

This is also a full EA team masterclass that supports creating more space to focus on what matters most in your organisation and for your workforce.