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Ask Flex / Overwhelmed, doing the job of three

Ask Flex

What are the signs you are indispensable at work?

"What are the signs you're indispensable at work? I think it might be me."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

The signs are that everything routes through you, nobody else knows how you do it, and taking a day off takes a week of getting ready. It feels like a compliment, and it's also how one person ends up carrying three jobs.

✱ Flex's tips

Make sure someone can cover for you.

1

Count who asks you

One day. Every "quick question." Tally it.

2

Write down one thing only you know

The steps, on a page. Ten minutes.

3

Share it

With one coworker who could cover it.

4

Let AI write the how-to

Talk it through. It turns your steps into a guide.

Try this in your own Claude or ChatGPT

I'm the only one at work who knows how to do this task: [describe it step by step, messy is fine]. Turn it into a clear how-to guide someone else could follow, so I'm not the only one who can do it.

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
Am I doing too much at work?

If your real list is a lot longer than the job you were hired for, probably. Flex has a page on it.

What if I'm overwhelmed by work responsibilities?

List them, mark the ones that were added, and ask which should stay yours.

How do I get work done from others?

Hand over the steps, not just the task. A written how-to makes it easy for someone to say yes.

✱ 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?Does everyone feel over­whelmed at work?Are you doing too much 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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