Taking On Additional Work
As an entry-level employee, intern, or any employee in the office, you may find yourself overwhelmed with taking on the work of your superiors around the holiday season. If this sounds like you, or you’re feeling stressed, today we’re here to provide you with tips for how to chug through this time period and achieve the best work of your ability!
Taking on a High Work Load…
- Make Lists! The best thing to do to stay on top of your assignments is to make lists and organize as much as possible. Whether this means on a daily or weekly basis, setting a to-do list with priorities and timelines will help you keep track of your obligations, the ones you’ve accumulated, and all of their respective due dates.
- Time Block: We at Esquire Recruiting are huge fans of making time schedules with time blocks assigned to various activities, tasks, assignments, and of course breaks too! Doing so will help you stay on track with the priorities of the day, remind yourself to take a brain break and eat, exercise, or walk around and leave your desk, and keep the prioritized tasks at the front of your mind.
- Communicate! Communicating the additional work that has dropped onto your plate to your teammates and any available management is a great way to be transparent about your work-life balance, stress levels, and mental health. When your support system at the office is aware of your situation, they will be much more readily equipped to offer a helping hand!
- Set Expectations: Make sure to set work hours and completion obligations with your coworkers and management! If you already know that there is no feasible way to complete an assignment before it’s due, looping other teammates in to delegate tasks and split up the work is not only an opportunity to showcase teamwork skills but a means of staying on track. We also hope that you set a balanced expectation for yourself and make sure to set boundaries around screen time, your “online” status at the office, and brain breaks.
- Ask for Help: Don’t be afraid to ask your team, your boss, or your other coworkers from differing departments for help! There is a reason that an office is made up of several teams of employees bringing a variety of skills and perspectives. You never know when a fresh set of eyes may be the key you need to perfect an assignment. Plus, the more criticism and feedback you obtain before the due date, the less you’ll hopefully encounter afterward.
Google!
The last encouragement to use our best friend, a search engine! I vividly remember the first time I was given the advice to look around online for answers, as you would be surprised by the quantities of tutorials and information you can find on the web. So, engaging in a quick Google search before extending an assignment or question to the team may provide you more answers than you ever expected!
We all know the holiday season can feel like the busiest time of the year, but with these tips, you are set to achieve success and impress your boss!
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