Episode Transcript
No matter where you’re working, your job has some built-in stress.
After all, you’re an engineer.
You’re expected to solve complex problems every day.
And handle your share of challenges outside of work too.
You knew all this going in.
But if you’re feeling too much of this stress, it can be overwhelming.
What Overwhelm Is and Why You Feel It
Overwhelm in your engineering job is the stress you feel when there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it.
It’s the anxiety you feel because you can’t stop working until all tasks are completed.
The tension from conflicting requirements.
The pressure to say yes to all you are asked to do.
The strain from being stretched too thin.
The exhaustion from learning so many new technologies and processes.
I know it all too well.
Overwhelm can also occur when you’re given tasks without the right tools to accomplish them.
Or you’re given tasks beyond your abilities without any support or guidance.
It’s not unusual to experience overwhelm when you’re new.
New to the field or the job. New to the organization or the project.
Your facing different challenges. Meeting new people.
There’s something big ahead of you that you haven’t experienced before.
All of this can be overwhelming.
Assessing Overwhelm in Your Engineering Job
A certain amount of overwhelm is not harmful. But too much overwhelm can lead to:
- Lack of focus, affecting your concentration at work;
- Mental fatigue, affecting your decision making;
- Creativity block, affecting your ideas and your ability to innovate; and eventually
- Burnout, affecting your overall well-being (and requiring serious attention).
A temporary bout of overwhelm that can be overcome in a short time is okay.
But prolonged overwhelm resulting in the symptoms above is not okay.
Why Women Engineers Experience Overwhelm at Work
Added to the stress that engineers experience, there’s extra stress that you experience as a woman.
In part because you’re one of few women among many men.
But also because you tend to put more expectations on yourself.
You want to show your competence and your excellence.
You want to go above and beyond.
Also as the time management axiom says:
There’s always more work to do. And you’ll never get everything done.
There really is more work than you can do. It’s not your imagination.
And there’s the perfection trap that makes you do more work than you need to.
These are all strong contributors to overwhelm.
If you’re waiting for someone else to take the load off, you might wait forever.
You’re the one that needs to ease up on your expectations and take the pressure off yourself.
You’re the one who must dial back the number of tasks you pursue in a day.
BTW this doesn’t equate to incompetence.
It doesn’t mean you’re not accomplishing your job.
Instead it shows your professionalism and skill in focusing on priorities and pacing yourself to do your best work.
Easier said than done. I get that.
And I can help you with a new perspective or some simple steps to implement.
You can book a strategy session with me. And we’ll talk about ideas to help you get out of overwhelm at work.
Tips for Alleviating Overwhelm in Your Engineering Job
Let’s look at some things you can do to alleviate overwhelm.
First notice when and why you’re in overwhelm so you can do something about it.
Second speak up when you’re overwhelmed so you can get some help.
Your boss may not even notice that you’re overwhelmed if you don’t say something.
Third here are 5 more tips for what you can do:
- Set Realistic Expectations.
Realize how much you can realistically accomplish in any given day.
Focus more on what you’ve completed and less on what you have yet to do.
- Set Priorities.
Determine what’s most important to you right now.
Set that as priority and let the rest go.
Get input from your boss and team leaders and keep them informed of your priorities.
- Set Boundaries.
Set your rules for who, what, where and when. For example:
- Maybe you’re the one who focuses on program management work and leaves the design work to others.
- Maybe you can reduce your workload by focusing only on the product reviews that have been prioritized by the department.
- You can take a 30-min lunch and designate it as your time – every day.
- You can choose to devote an hour per month to your development plan…
…You get the idea.
- Set Time Frames.
Block off specific time frames for tasks you tend to spend too much time on. (Such as reading email.)
Break larger project tasks into smaller, more manageable ones and set time frames for those.
- Enforce All of the Above.
By stating your priorities and boundaries with confidence.
And by doing things like:
- Delegating,
- asking for help,
- managing your calendar,
- asking your boss to reassign some of your work,
- saying no.
You probably don’t feel comfortable telling people what you’re not gonna do.
But you can’t do your job effectively without priorities and boundaries.
And the only way to enforce them in a professional way is to state them with confidence.
Trust yourself to know what you need and what’s most important.
Trust yourself to set priorities. And trust that it’s okay to let non-priority things go.
Remember, there will be tasks left undone. And that’s okay.
With this approach, you’ll take the pressure off.
You’ll handle your workload in a way that is balanced and effective.
And you’ll ease your overwhelm now and in the future.
Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast we’ll explore ways to excel from your role as an engineer to one who can change in the world.
Be sure to tune in for Episode 164.