The problem of “not enough time” is not a personal failure.
Picture this scenario. It's Wednesday morning, and you just dropped your kids off at school after they missed the bus. You're about to race from the drop-off line to the office when you see the little red light on your dashboard telling you your gas tank is almost empty.
You could ignore it, rush to work anyway, and risk running out of gas entirely and wasting the better part of the morning waiting for AAA to save you. Or you could submit to the circumstances and take a few extra moments to fill up your tank, even if it means being ten minutes late to your first meeting.
Either way, if you don't have enough gas in your car, you don't expect your car to keep running. And you don't blame the car, saying, "If you just tried harder, you could make it!" When the resource—in this case, gas—is depleted, it's depleted.
This logic makes sense when you apply it to your car and its essential resource: gasoline. Yet so often, we go into self-blame mode when we run out of our critical resource: time.
Time is a finite resource.
When we don't have enough time to complete our tasks at the office, it can feel like a personal failure. This reaction is especially common among perfectionists and high-achievers. We tell ourselves that if we got creative or hustled harder, we could push through and make it all happen.
Remember, if you begin to notice that your available time doesn’t align with what you are expected to accomplish, it's not a YOU problem; it's a business problem. It means that you haven’t been given the proper resources to effectively perform your role. Beyond that, being perpetually short on time is the equivalent of seeing that warning light in your car. It's a prompt to refill that time tank before it ends up totally empty.
Why does speaking up about a lack of time matter?
Admitting to the fact that we are struggling can feel incredibly vulnerable, but there are multiple reasons why it's essential.
It prevents burnout.
Sure, working against a deadline can be a bit of an adrenaline rush now and again. And having a lot on our plate can make us feel like vital contributors, which comes with a sense of pride. But continuing to struggle with an untenable workload will leave you feeling stressed, exhausted, and frustrated—all precursors to burnout.
It helps better achieve business goals.
If you never “complain” or raise the issue of your unrealistic workload, your boss has no reason to think there’s a problem. It may feel like sucking it up and getting it all done is the way to be a team player, but in reality you are creating a roadblock to organizational success.
Without knowing what you’re struggling against the business won’t have the justification to add to the headcount or reallocate human resources appropriately. Eventually, when you either leave the company or reach a crisis point, the system will break down and it will be too late for your manager to quickly address the problem. By sounding the alarm early, you allow leadership to better manage the business and accomplish everything that needs to be done.
It helps you avoid preventable mistakes.
One reason you may be taking on more work than you can handle is that you want to be seen as reliable and a hard worker. You probably dread making a mistake or seeming like an ineffective team member.
Yet, if you continue to spread yourself so thin, you are setting yourself up for the very experience you are striving to avoid. We’ve all been in situations when mistakes happen because we’re overstretched, rushing, or fatigued. Addressing unrealistic expectations in advance can help you proactively avoid these errors.
How do you tell your boss that their expectations are unrealistic?
First, challenge the “myth of effortlessness.”
When we're stuck in a cycle of feeling behind, it can seem like everyone else is easily managing their workload. In reality, many of your colleagues may be experiencing the same struggles you grapple with. Begin by checking in with a few trusted colleagues to see if this is true. If they are, consider raising the issue collectively with your team leader.
Even if you don’t find others ready to raise the concern, it’s still worth a 1:1 conversation with your supervisor. Approach your boss as if you are a consultant. Having this conversation is a chance to show your supervisor that you're a thoughtful contributor willing to speak up on behalf of the good of the business. Don't just come with the problem. Instead, prepare to present possible solutions or modified options to help you and the company succeed.
Remember, no matter how this conversation turns out, it will give you something valuable. You will either be offered support to make your workload more manageable or be met with a lack of support that helps you assess if this role or organization is the right long-term fit.
Are you looking for support to grow in confidence, visibility, and influence in your career?