Staying motivated when you’re overloaded - Part one

Everyone experiences days where we feel overwhelmed with the workload we find when we walk into the office. Heading into the office to find a mound of work on our desk can leave us completely demotivated before the day even starts.

Many of us have fallen victim to this cycle during our working lives, it’s difficult to escape from its clutches and can leave us feeling that there is not end to the chaotic day, as the work continues to pile up while colleagues around you seem to sail through it without a care in the world.

Get organised

So many of us have arrived at work to find our desk stacked high with work. We know that below all of the papers is a keyboard, which we need to get everything completed and check the emails for the day.

One of the best motivational tips is to get organised. The first thing you should do when arriving at the office, or even better as the day comes to an end, is to take a few minutes and get your desk organised. Get the paperwork in order, file away any completed work to reduce the clutter on your desk and showcase your keyboard and mouse, so they’re there and ready to use.

Invest in some desk trays and take advantage of them. Getting your paperwork organised and into trays can already eliminate some of the stress, helping you stay motivated.

Think of your clean desk as a clean slate, giving you the ability to challenge the day ahead.

Learn to prioritise

One of the hardest things to accomplish when you’re feeling overwhelmed is prioritising important tasks. Learning to prioritise can help you get through the urgent work before working on the less urgent tasks needed. In some cases some of the tasks you have on your list may not have to be done today, which can give you some breathing room and a chance to complete urgent tasks easily without feeling too overwhelmed.

In order to stay motivated, you’ll find that prioritising can play such an important role. Have a clear list of what you need to do in terms of urgency, work your way through the list and enjoy a sense of accomplishment as you complete each task in a timely manner.

I always recommend that when it comes to urgent tasks, tackle the harder ones first. Once the harder ones are out of the way, you can carry on with the easier tasks. I’ve always found this method exceptionally useful to get jobs completed when there appears to be no end in sight with the amount of work that I need to complete for the day.

Start to delegate

Not everyone knows the art of delegation. Delegation can be one of the most appreciated tools when you have too much work to complete. Smaller or even easier tasks can be handed to someone else to complete, reducing your workload considerably.

Delegation can immediately reduce the stress you put yourself under, whether it’s printing a few brochures and posting or sending off a spreadsheet, you’ll find that passing these small tasks to one of your colleagues (or even outsourcing to someone like a virtual PA) can give you time to get the important tasks you need to do completed when they need to be done.