There are always going to be times when your work load suddenly escalates. We’ve recently had a very busy time at Red Desk which made us think about the best ways to manage things when your workload is out to get you!

• Start the day with a plan

We always start with a plan particularly if there is more than one of us working on the project. We briefly outline for ourselves and for each other, our targets for the day. This simple task first thing in the morning is the underpinning of being organised.

• Break your workload into manageable tasks

By breaking down your workload into smaller tasks you take your focus away from the bigger picture, allowing you time to concentrate on each task in turn. You’ll obviously have to prioritise and make sure things happen in the right order but just the fact of getting tasks done will build your momentum and make you feel you are achieving goals and move you closer to completion.

• Step back & prioritise

It’s impossible to get everything done at once so don’t try! Those moments when you take the time to step back and assess what you’ve done are so important to doing a good job, ploughing on without stopping will get you to the end but you might have missed important ideas or considerations on the way.

• Set realistic deadlines & achievable goals

Due to the nature of our work we have many virtual clients and therefore have tasks and projects coming in from many different places that are not related. We have to be realistic with each request and not promise deadlines we can’t meet. The better you are at scoping exactly what needs doing and by when it will be achievable, will give your clients confidence in you.

• Take Breaks

Taking breaks is essential to good productivity; it reduces boredom, helps the mind focus and allows us to re-evaluate our goals. Peppering your day with short breaks between tasks allows you to have a fresh mind and enhance work life.

• Turn off notifications?

Not sure if you dare? We rarely turn off our notifications as we want to reply to clients as soon as possible, but sometimes it’s necessary. Give yourself 30 minutes to work on a task undisturbed, to give yourself a head start. We all live in such a fast paced world it’s important to sometimes allow ourselves to fully concentrate.

• Have a support network or mentor

We’re very lucky at Red Desk that we have a great team that support each other. Having a colleague or mentor that you can turn to in crazy times is going to keep you sane. If you’re a freelancer maybe there’s another freelancer that you could turn to and support each other? It’s always going to help to have someone to talk things through with or in our case who can step in to help with a heavy workload.

Of course you could always employ a Virtual Assistant to through the busy times!