5 Signs You Have Too Much Work, How To Fix It
Theoretically, there’s no such thing as “too much work.” That’s like saying there’s a such thing as “too much money.” When your output is limited by time there can definitely be a such thing as too much work and here are some signs that you have too much.
You keep missing deadlines. Missing deadlines could be a sign of poor time management, but it could also mean that you have too much work to give yourself enough time to complete projects by the deadline. A single missed deadline here and there is conscionable, but frequently missed deadlines is unacceptable. If you’re missing a lot of deadlines, take a look at your workload.
You’re living assignment to assignment. If you finish one project only to start another with no break in between, you could have too much work. I tend to worry when I have some downtime between projects, but a short break is a good thing. It gives you time to relax and take your mind off client work for a little before getting back into the swing of things.
You have to schedule work far in advance. Of course, regular work will have recurring deadlines that could happen weeks, even months from now. When you have to give new clients deadlines that fall weeks and months from now, it could be a sign of a problem, especially if the work doesn’t take weeks or months to complete.
You can’t take a day off, not even a weekend or holiday. All work and no play is a destructive combination. Every person needs some “me” time. If your schedule is so booked up that you can’t take a day off, especially a holiday, it’s a problem.
You’ve cut back on sleep so you can get more work done. Again, this could be a sign of bad time management, but if you’re spending most of the day working and you have to sleep less so you can do more work, you’re doing too much. Your body needs a certain amount of rest to function properly. If you don’t get that amount, it will catch up with you sooner or later, Red Bull or not.
What do you do after you’ve turned yourself into a machine? First, figure out why you have so much work. Is it because you have to work that much to make ends meet? Or did you simply overbook yourself? Do you have a problem saying “no” to work? Figuring out why you have so much work will help you come up with a plan to cut back on the work.
If you can’t afford to work less…
Consider increasing your rates and moving to a higher-paying market. You might also take a look at your expenses to see if there’s anywhere you can cut back to make living more affordable.
If you don’t know how to say no…
Learn how. Come up with a list of requirements that each job must meet for you to say “yes” to it. Then, compare every job to that list. If the job doesn’t measure up, say “no.” If you find that you’re still saying “yes” a lot, make your job requirements stricter.
If your demand is high…
Scale back the marketing. Don’t stop marketing all together because you want to keep your name out there. You just want to reduce some of the work coming your way.
Have a list of referrals to whom you can send clients who don’t meet your “yes” list or those who you just don’t have time to work for. This way, you still get the client’s needs met, without overworking yourself.
If you regularly overbook yourself…
Come up with a better scheduling system. Put your work on a calendar and always refer to it when you’re scheduling work. When you have a day that’s filled up, mark it off your calendar so you don’t give out any new deadlines on that date. You might also mark off some of the days preceding your booked up days.
