How to manage unrealistic work demands

Everyone wants to have a successful career which is why a lot of people find themselves trying to juggle unrealistic work demands. Desperate not to be seen as being unable to cope with heavy workloads, many of us find ourselves working extra hours, taking work home at the weekends and worrying ourselves with stress about how we are going to get everything done.

If this sounds familiar, our helpful advice below can help you to gain back some control and start enjoying your job once again.

Speak up

When people are faced with unrealistic deadlines, they tend to keep quiet and hope for the best. Unfortunately, by the time problems are addressed, it is often too far down the line and making adjustments can be difficult or impossible so people are left feeling disappointed. However, had the situation been addressed from the beginning, it would have been much easier to handle and deadlines could have been extended.

Explain the situation

A big part of why people place unrealistic demands on others is simply because they are not aware of the work that is involved. If you are feeling overwhelmed yet are constantly being handed more tasks, take some time to explain to the people involved why their expectations are unrealistic and set some new ones together. Again, make sure you do this at the beginning rather than waiting for deadlines to be missed before explaining this as people will be a lot more understanding if you are upfront with them.

Organise yourself

If you have a heavy workload then prioritising all your tasks and organising yourself is vital. You will feel a lot calmer and will get more done if you know exactly what needs to be done and by when.

Understand the importance of quality

Everybody knows that if something has been done to a very high standard, that a lot of time and effort will have been spent on it. When workers are held to unrealistic demands, their quality of work tends to go down because people try to rush things and mistakes happen. Commit to providing high quality work and ask others to help you stay true to this by giving you the necessary time and resources to let this happen.

Ask for help

Never be afraid to ask others for help. There is no shame in asking a team-mate for help if they have time to spare. They don’t even need to help with the task you are trying to finish – they may be able to help with other admin or housekeeping responsibilities that are preventing you from getting other more important projects done.

Do you have any helpful tips to help you deal with a heavy workload? Let us know below.