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Ask Flex / Overwhelmed, doing the job of three

Ask Flex

Does everyone feel over­whelmed at work?

A lot of people do. They just don't say it.

What you say

"I'm good, thanks!"

"Is it just me, or is this a lot?"

What your coworker says

"Me too! All good here."

"Oh, thank goodness. It's not just you."

An example. Your desk, your call.

Flex's short answer

A lot of people do, and most of them think they're the only one. Feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean you're bad at your job, it means you're carrying a lot.

✱ The video

Rather watch? It's 55 seconds.

✱ Flex's tips

It's not just you.

1

Say it to one person

"Is it just me, or is this a lot?"

2

Put the list on paper

Written down, it usually looks more manageable.

3

Check the load, not yourself

Count your tasks before you blame yourself.

4

Take one thing off

Hand one repeat task to AI this week.

Try this in your own Claude or ChatGPT

I feel overwhelmed at work and I can't tell if it's me or the workload. Here's what I handle in a normal week: [list]. Tell me honestly if this looks like one person's job, and which parts AI could draft for me.

Before you paste work stuff into any AI, check what your company allows.
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The Three Piles

Type everything on your plate, tap each one into a pile, and walk out with a list your boss can read.

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Flex the robot at his desk under a teal umbrella while sticky notes rain down, one finished page in the dry spot in front of him, and little Clawd riding a sticky note down like a parachute
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✱ What people ask
Why do I get overwhelmed at work so easily?

Often it's lots of small things at once, not one big one. Writing them down turns the noise into a list.

Why do I keep getting overwhelmed at work?

If it keeps happening, look at the load. The same pile keeps making the same feeling. Flex has a page on it.

I'm overwhelmed at work. What do I do?

Get every task onto one list, then pick one. Flex has a page on it.

✱ More from this pile: Overwhelmed, doing the job of three
What do you do when you're over­whelmed at work?How do you manage a heavy workload?Doing the work of 3 people?Over­whelmed at work and want to quit?Are you doing too much at work?What are the signs you are indispensable at work?How do you get through an extremely busy time at work?Over­whelmed at a new job?So over­whelmed at work you want to cry?How can you be productive at work? The Three Piles
From Nikki's blogFlex tells you how. Nikki tells you what it felt like. Read it on Clawd and Me. Read it →

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