How to deal with a job which is very demanding and might be under-eligible for doing it?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

I am constantly feeling overwhelmed in this job and there is never a sense of comfort. I remember being someone who liked challenges, but one at a time. My job is really good for someone who is experienced more than I am. I constantly feel performance pressure, as I find it difficult to juggle so many challenges daily.

I work in a small team that has slowly undertaken quite a lot of work in new areas. I feel anxious in all meetings, almost panicking every time a new task / work is added to the backlog. I did not feel this way when the number of my tasks was less, and the pace of the project was slower.

It is like having to learn too many new things, look at too many new tasks instead of focussing on two at a time. I have tried to do time-management sessions and have started on meditation, but really wonder sometimes if I must change my project / team.

How do I deal with a job that is fast paced and demanding, and how do I effectively push back?

manpreet 2 years ago

How do I deal with a job that is fast paced and demanding, and how do I effectively push back?

If you haven't already done so, you must bring this up with your boss soon. Issues like this are always best handled by communicating with the person or persons who can help - in this case it's your boss.

Tell her/him how you are feeling about your work. Ask for suggestions as to what you might do.

Your boss might tell you not to be so worried - that your performance is fine.

Or, your boss might decide to scale back your responsibilities for a while.

Or, you and your boss together might decide that this role doesn't fit you well, and work together to find a new role with a better fit - either in the company, or elsewhere.

I've been in a similar situation myself some years ago. I was in a role that wasn't working out well for me. I spoke with my boss and we found a way to adjust the role to better suit my abilities.

I've also had people on my team in similar situations. For some, they just needed reassurance that their progress was fine and that they were being overly-critical of themselves. For others, their progress just wasn't sufficient, and we needed to change things for them.

Just don't ignore the issue. Deal with it head on - you'll feel better in the end.