In an increasingly competitive world, emphasis is often placed on the importance of knowing how to deal with workload
In this article we will see some useful tips to increase our working efficiency and know how to properly manage the workload on a day-to-day basis, and also a reflection on the extent to which the solution should always involve individual solutions.
Strategies to manage workload
Follow these guidelines to improve your chances of knowing how to cope well with day-to-day responsibilities in the work context.
1. Sleep well
It has been proven that the simple act of sleeping less than 6 hours a day for a week and a half causes most people to have the same cognitive and concentration problems as those who have not slept for two days. This has clear implications when it comes to working: you perform significantly less
In addition, getting little sleep greatly increases the chances of developing excess anxiety.
2. Set very specific schedules
In most cases, the habit of not keeping schedules or of keeping them only “in your head” is the enemy of productivity. The best thing is to specify them almost to the last detail, to be able to better engage with them
3. Don’t underestimate the power of breaks
Although it may seem paradoxical, in most cases setting aside a few minutes of rest approximately every hour can make us finish before working. The reason is that allows us to concentrate better and also gives us specific moments in which to rest, something that makes it easier for us to avoid distractions and the moments in which without realizing it our mind starts to wander.
4. Adopt assertive communication habits
Sometimes we waste a lot of time because of misunderstandings. It is important to be very sure that you are doing what is necessary at all times, and this means being direct when raising any doubts that arise.
5. If you can, delegate
The point at which we can delegate responsibilities is one of the key moments of any leader who works in an organizational environment: trusting the ability of other people has its risks, but it is often necessary to be able to cope well with the workload.
This in itself is more work, but in the medium and long term, it is appreciated.
6. Don’t underestimate the importance of the workspace
Small details such as fluorescent lights that flicker a lot, uncomfortable chairs or poor table layout can make it very uncomfortable to work in the medium term, including problems that sometimes become medical. Therefore, to deal well with the workload, it is important design work spaces keeping in mind criteria arising from ergonomics and work psychology
The problem of Burnout syndrome
One of the keys to knowing how to correctly manage work overload is knowing how to distinguish between situations in which planning strategies and the adoption of new habits can be the solution, and those cases in which the root of the problem is simply that there is too much. job.
Because beyond motivational phrases and the belief that the only thing necessary to achieve success is effort there are psychological disorders facilitated by a precarious work situation and which, unfortunately, is very common even in the richest countries.
That’s why you have to accept the possibility that certain jobs are poorly planned , some companies can only function by exploiting workers until they lose their health, and we cannot expect that the decisions we make individually are always the key to completely solving problems that are collective in nature, and not personal. So, to know when you have a Burnout syndrome problem that can only be solved by stopping working so much, consider these aspects of your way of working:
If the answer to most of these questions is yes you are likely experiencing Burnout syndrome.
If, in addition, you feel the need to sleep little to be able to meet your work objectives, you hardly dedicate time to eating well, you work so much that you cannot allow yourself short breaks of even a quarter of an hour and you feel a significant fear of being assigned a lot of work suddenly, it is worth considering why you should continue working under these conditions, given that adopting healthier habits in terms of performance and organization will not mean that the job will continue to be harmful.
We must not forget that Mental health is not disconnected from the material context that surrounds us and that if the 150-page documents to be filled out in a single afternoon will continue to exist even if we modify our behavior, what should change is the job, not us.
In any case, psychology is relevant in both cases. On the one hand, it helps people adopt useful strategies to manage their time and be more resistant to anxiety and stress, and on the other hand it proposes intervention models in the way companies work, from changes in workflow to activities to improve group cohesion and prevent the emergence of problems caused by lack of communication and trust, for example.