Learn to use AI at work, with Claude. Yes, at your 9-to-5 desk job. Free in the 9-5 Survivors Lab

Ask Flex / Overwhelmed, doing the job of three

Ask Flex

How do you manage a heavy workload?

"How do I manage a heavy workload? There aren't enough hours."You asked Google. Flex answered.
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
Flex's short answer

You can't add hours to the day, so you shrink what each task takes and hand back what isn't really yours. Most heavy workloads have a lot of drafting, sorting, and summarizing hiding inside them.

✱ Flex's tips

Make each task take less time.

1

List it with times

Every task and roughly how long it takes.

2

Circle what can be drafted

Emails, reports, summaries, forms.

3

Hand back what isn't yours

Say whose it is, kindly.

4

Protect the real work

Block an hour for what truly needs you.

Try this in your own Claude or ChatGPT

Here are my weekly tasks with rough times: [list]. Which of these are mostly drafting, sorting, or summarizing that AI could help with? Show me how many hours a week that adds up to.

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

If this comes back every week, the free Lab shows you how to hand it to Claude.

Free tool

The Three Piles

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

Sort my plate
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
Inside the Lab

Learn this in the Lab, free

A free group where you learn to use Claude for the repeat parts of your job: email, reports, forms. Start with a 15-minute chat that maps what Claude can do in your job.

  • Free
  • No coding
  • Works in Claude
Start free on Skool
✱ What people ask
How do I manage a large workload?

Write it all down with time guesses. Then cut, hand off, or push back before you start.

How do I manage an increased workload?

For every new thing on your plate, ask what comes off. Flex has a page on it.

How do I manage overwhelm from a heavy workload?

Get it onto one list first. 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?Doing the work of 3 people?Over­whelmed at work and want to quit?Does everyone feel over­whelmed at work?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 →

Want to hand this to Claude?

Start in the Lab with the free 9-to-5 Job Triage: a 15-minute chat that maps what Claude can do in your job. Everything inside is free.

Start free on Skool