Managing your workload

This might sound counter intuitive. Surely, getting on with what needs to be done would be a better idea, right? Perhaps.

If you already have the winning formula for managing your workload then skip this, but if not, it might be helpful to take a step back and spend a little time appraising your current approach. This will help you to appreciate what works well and what doesn’t, and where there might be opportunities to make a change.

Questions to ponder:

• What sort of tasks get ticked off first, and what lingers on the list?
• At what time in the day are you most and least productive?
• What three activities eat up most of your time, and to what extent do they align with your top three priorities?
• What or who helps and hinders your efforts to get things done?
• How often do you feel stressed or worried about your workload?
• To what extent do you find yourself doing things for other people at the expense of completing your own work?

Once you’ve got a good grasp of your current workload reality and identified where improvements could be beneficial, it’s time to get proactive and trial some new techniques.

Workload management strategies can be broadly split into five groups and to begin with it’s worth considering what type of approach is likely to motivate you the most. Then google and you’ll find no end of methods to try. That said, remember that it might take a little while to find the thing that works for you.

Time strategies

The Pomodoro Technique breaks your work into short, focused 25-minute sessions, followed by a five-minute break. Repeat this cycle four or five times to stay on track and boost productivity. If it worked for you during university, there’s no reason it won’t work in the workplace. You can also mix enjoyable tasks with less enjoyable ones to keep things balanced and adjust your schedule based on when you’re most productive during the day.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix helps you prioritise your tasks based on their urgency and importance which can help reduce stress. It divides tasks into four categories:

1. Urgent and Important tasks should be done immediately
2. Not Urgent but Important tasks should be planned for later
3. Urgent but Not Important tasks can be delegated to others
4. Not Urgent and Not Important tasks can be eliminated or ignored

This effective method helps you focus on what really matters on one day and to avoid wasting time on less important tasks. You can search ‘prioritisation matrix’ online and you’ll find lots of templates.

Prioritisation strategies

These tend to focus on determining the urgency and importance of each task on your list and then prioritising them accordingly. Search ‘prioritisation matrix’ online and you’ll find lots of templates, or if you prefer to keep this exercise live and want additional functionality, there are lots of apps available.

People strategies

These tend to focus on your relationships with other people and how they can help or hinder workload management. 

Techniques include pledging to a colleague that you will complete a particular task and asking them to nudge you regularly, introducing clear boundaries between social interactions and focused work activity to avoid friendly distractions, and being respectfully assertive and learning to say no sometimes when people ask you to take on additional tasks.

Incentive strategies

These tend to focus on the idea of action and reward.

Techniques include allowing yourself a treat once you complete a task (whether that be a cupcake or a new car), visualising the potential positive impact that completing a task will bring, or conversely, encourage people to identify any negative consequences of failing to do something, and aligning activity with personal or career goals.

Wellbeing strategies

These tend to take a more holistic approach.

Techniques focus less on finding ways to get tasks ticked off and instead encourage lifestyle improvements. The idea being that better exercise, diet, and sleep habits will enable you to adopt a more positive mindset at work or combat any stress caused by a heavy workload.

Working from home (WFH) introduces a different dynamic and may impact how much or how little you achieve. If you work from home regularly, it’s worth factoring this in when considering any new workload management techniques. You might also try the following:

• Create a designated workspace – think about what you need to do your job effectively and get it all set up in one place. You can then step into, and out of, your ‘at home’ workplace, this might help you to maintain some boundaries between work and home life.
• Minimise distractions – let anyone you live with know when you’re working and therefore not available, turn off your personal mobile or mute social notifications, and try not to squeeze too many household chores in alongside your work - putting a load of washing on is one thing but when you find yourself doing a full spring clean you’re probably procrastinating!
• Act like you would if you were going into work – get into the right mindset by dressing for work (you don’t have to put on a three-piece suit but you might at least change out of your pyjamas). Follow a similar routine by sticking to any regular start, finish, and break times, and check-in with colleagues regularly to maintain contact and stay up to date.

BBC - Productivity Playlists

Harvard Business Review - Assessment: What's Your Personal Productivity Style (quiz)

Lifehack - Productivity Music For Focus