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Abstract: The article explores the common experience of feeling overwhelmed due to heavy workloads, even for the most organized and efficient leaders. It first examines the key causes and consequences of workplace overwhelm, including unrealistic deadlines, competing priorities, lack of control, and insufficient delegation. The article then outlines three proven strategies leaders can use to regain a sense of control: prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance, establishing clear boundaries and learning to say "no," and adopting sustainable productivity habits through strategic scheduling and routines. By leveraging these approaches, leaders can mitigate the factors driving overwhelm and maintain the ability to effectively manage demanding workloads long-term, without succumbing to debilitating stress or poor decision-making. The article provides a practical, research-backed framework to help leaders prevent overwhelm from spiraling out of control.
It happens to even the most organized and efficient leaders - periods of feeling overwhelmed due to a heavy workload. In times of high demand and pressure, deadlines piling up and responsibilities mounting, it is easy to feel like you are drowning in tasks and unable to keep your head above water. However, feeling overwhelmed is rarely productive and often counterproductive to effectively managing a busy workload. Drawing from leadership research on workload management and stress reduction, as well as practical strategies from experienced professionals in high-pressure industries, today we will provide actionable steps leaders can take to regain a sense of control when faced with an overwhelming workload.
Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Workplace Overwhelm
Before addressing solutions, it is important to first understand why feeling overwhelmed occurs and the potential negative impacts it can have if left unaddressed. Researchers have found that workload pressure is one of the top sources of workplace stress for managers and leaders (Allisey, Rodwell, & Noblet, 2016; Kalimo, Pahkin, Mutanen, & Toppinen-Tanner, 2003). When daily demands regularly exceed perceived capacity and resources, it triggers feelings of being overwhelmed due to an inability to cope (LePine, Podsakoff, & LePine, 2005).
Some common triggers for workload overwhelm include:
Unrealistic deadlines: Being expected to complete an unreasonable amount of tasks within constrained timeframes.
Competing priorities: Having to juggle multiple high stakes projects and responsibilities simultaneously without enough flexibility.
Lack of control: Feeling like external factors beyond your control are dictating your schedule and limiting ability to manage workload effectively.
Insufficient delegation: Attempting to do everything yourself without properly handing off non-essential tasks to others on your team.
If left unaddressed, feeling constantly overwhelmed can contribute to both personal and organizational problems in the long run. Research has linked high workload pressure and role overload to increased stress levels, burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and impaired decision-making (Carayon & Zijlstra, 1999; LePine et al., 2005). At the organizational level, overwhelmed leaders are less productive, more error-prone, and at higher risk of turnover - all detrimental outcomes for performance and the bottom line.
Clearly, feeling overwhelmed is an unsustainable state that ultimately harms both individual well-being and organizational success if not mitigated. The good news is leaders have options to regain a sense of control over their workload through strategic prioritization and making small adjustments to daily habits and routines.
Prioritizing to Focus on What Really Matters
One of the most powerful tools leaders have to manage workload overwhelm is prioritization - the ability to determine which tasks should take precedence over others based on urgency and importance. When faced with an endless to-do list and limited time, prioritizing helps filter out low-value activities to focus energy where it counts most. According to project management experts, prioritization requires answering two key questions (Perell, 2016):
What are the consequences if this is not done? Tasks with more severe negative outcomes from delay deserve priority over less impactful ones.
How long will it take? High impact tasks that can be completed quickly should take precedence over others which will require significant time investment.
Some effective prioritization methods leaders can employ include:
Urgent/important matrix: Categorizing tasks into urgent/important, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, not urgent/not important buckets to guide focus.
ABC analysis: Assigning categories of A (essential), B (important), and C (nice to have but not critical) to tasks to concentrate first on A's.
Two-list method: Creating to-do lists for today vs. later to keep presently overwhelmed self focused only on most pressing items.
Decision tree: Mapping out possible next steps and associated consequences to visualize optimal path forward.
For example, as a hospital administrator dealing with budget cuts and staff shortages, focusing first on priority initiatives that directly impact patient care like hiring more nurses rather than less pressing facility upgrades prevents being pulled in too many directions at once. Consistent prioritization is key to gaining control in overwhelm.
Establishing Boundaries and Saying No
Another important coping strategy for leaders facing heavy workloads is establishing clear boundaries around work responsibilities and hours - especially in industries where "always-on" cultures are the norm. However, research shows excessive job demands combined with an inability to switch off is a recipe for burnout over the long run (Allen, Herst, Bruck, & Sutton, 2000).
For boundary-setting to be effective, it involves learning to say "no" to new requests that do not align with strategic priorities:
Politely yet firmly decline tasks outside your capacity by clarifying current commitments. Offer alternatives for how the requestor could be supported otherwise.
Avoid the urge to take on more to look helpful. Overcommitting sets unrealistic expectations and ensures overwhelm persists.
Communicate availability for emergencies but let others manage routine matters outside core working hours as much as possible.
Resist constant checking of devices after hours which blurs the work-life line. Designate protected personal time daily.
For example, as a startup CEO, blocking out time each evening to have dinner with family without interruption, and blocking your calendar for weekends except true crises show others when you are available without feeling overloaded. Consistent boundary-setting prevents burnout.
Achieving Sustainable Productivity Through Scheduling and Routines
Finally, regaining control of heavy workloads requires adopting sustainable productivity habits through strategic scheduling and routines. Research shows humans struggle with open-ended workloads and need structure to optimally manage competing priorities (Mark et al., 2005; Steel, 2007). By blocking out portions of each day or week for specific tasks, leaders gain clarity to feel less overwhelmed and more in control.
Effective scheduling involves:
Categorizing tasks into goals for daily/weekly/monthly timeboxes
Avoiding open-ended to-do lists by setting realistic capacity limits each period
Scheduling breaks, self-care and relaxation as rigorously as work tasks
Productive routines may involve:
Starting each morning with high impact work to ensure momentum
Scheduling meetings and admin for afternoons when focus wanes
Taking regular microbreaks to recharge every 90 minutes
Ending days by prepping for next day to avoid scramble starts
For example, as a school principal managing teacher observations, lesson plans and meetings, setting a standing weekly schedule ensures big picture oversight without constant reaction. Consistent routines mitigate overwhelm.
Conclusion
In high-pressure industries, periods of feeling overwhelmed due to heavy workloads will inevitably occur at times for even the most skilled leaders. However, regaining a sense of control does not require superhuman time management alone - it starts with reframing one's mindset, prioritizing effectively, and establishing sustainable habits and boundaries. By leveraging strategic prioritization, consistent self-care, and regularly scheduled routines, leaders can mitigate factors driving overwhelm and maintain ability to cope with demanding workloads long-term. With practice, it is possible to productively manage periods of high workload pressure without succumbing to debilitating stress or suboptimal rctions like constant reactivity or poor decision making. Committing to the practical strategies outlined provides leaders approaches proven to prevent overwhelm from spiraling out of control, so heavy workloads become challenging but not unsustainable.
References
Allen, T. D., Herst, D. E. L., Bruck, C. S., & Sutton, M. (2000). Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of occupational health psychology, 5(2), 278.
Allisey, A. F., Rodwell, J., & Noblet, A. J. (2016). An application of an extended effort-reward imbalance model to police samples. Psychology, Crime & Law, 22(4), 371-393.
Carayon, P., & Zijlstra, F. (1999). Relationship between job control, work pressure and strain: Studies in the USA and in The Netherlands. Work & Stress, 13(1), 32-48.
Kalimo, R., Pahkin, K., Mutanen, P., & Toppinen-Tanner, S. (2003). Staying well or burning out at work: work characteristics and personal resources as long-term predictors. Work & Stress, 17(2), 109-122.
LePine, J. A., Podsakoff, N. P., & LePine, M. A. (2005). A meta-analytic test of the challenge stressor–hindrance stressor framework: An explanation for inconsistent relationships among stressors and performance. Academy of management journal, 48(5), 764-775.
Mark, G., Gonzalez, V. M., & Harris, J. (2005). No task left behind?: examining the nature of fragmented work. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 321-330).
Perell, K. (2016). Prioritization matrix: How to prioritize tasks effectively. Retrieved from https://www.projectmanagement.com/prioritization-matrix
Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological bulletin, 133(1), 65.
Additional Reading
Westover, J. H. (2024). Optimizing Organizations: Reinvention through People, Adapted Mindsets, and the Dynamics of Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.3
Westover, J. H. (2024). Reinventing Leadership: People-Centered Strategies for Empowering Organizational Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.4
Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5
Westover, J. H. (2024). Energizing Innovation: Inspiring Peak Performance through Talent, Culture, and Growth. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.6
Westover, J. H. (2024). Championing Performance: Aligning Organizational and Employee Trust, Purpose, and Well-Being. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.7
Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Workforce Evolution: Strategies for Adapting to Changing Human Capital Needs. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.8
Westover, J. H. (2024). Navigating Change: Keys to Organizational Agility, Innovation, and Impact. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.11
Westover, J. H. (2024). Inspiring Purpose: Leading People and Unlocking Human Capacity in the Workplace. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.12
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Managing Overwhelm: Practical Strategies for Feeling in Control When Faced with a Heavy Workload, 17(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.17.1.3
