Workload & wellbeing
Ask your manager what can wait
A simple conversation to turn too much work into the right work, with your manager's help
Write down everything on your plate with a rough effort for each, share it with your manager, and ask which things matter most and what could wait or go.
- 15 minutes
- You and your manager
- When the plate overflows
- Conversation
Why this can work
Your manager can only help with a load they can see. A list with rough effort attached turns a vague “I'm swamped” into a set of choices, and choosing priorities is part of their job, often one they're better placed to make than you. Bringing it while there's still room to choose makes it a planning conversation rather than an explanation.
Read moreHow to ask your manager to help you prioritize
You’ll come away with a shorter list, and your manager's call on what waits.
- List everything on your plate.
Projects, recurring duties, favors you agreed to in passing, the thing you keep meaning to get to. If it takes your time, it goes on the list.
- Add a rough effort to each.
Hours a week, or small, medium and large. Rough is fine. The point is that your manager sees size, not just a count. Mark anything with a deadline or someone waiting on it.
- Star the two or three you'd protect.
If everything else slipped, which would you keep? Your manager may disagree, and that's useful to learn.
- Share it and ask what can wait.
Send the list before your next 1:1, then talk it through. Ask what matters most right now, and what could wait or come off entirely.
To: your managerBefore our next 1:1, I wanted to share everything currently on my plate, with a rough sense of the effort each one takes:
each item, with rough effort and any deadline
I want the most important things to get my best work, and right now I don't think they can all get it. I'd like your help deciding which of these matter most, and what could wait or come off.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Write down what you agreed.
A two-line note: what's first, what's paused and until when. Then tell anyone who was waiting on the paused things, so the decision actually lands.
Tip: Closing the loop with the people waiting is part of the job. It's also what makes your manager comfortable deciding next time.
Good times to repeat it: when your list outgrows your weekafter a big new project landswhen you get a new manager
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Requests from other teams, favors for colleagues, the process you quietly keep running. Your manager may not know about any of it, and it's often what's eating the week.
What might make this harder
Ask what would happen if each one landed a week late. Talking about consequences is easier than ranking, and the answers usually show the order.
Questions people ask
How do I tell my manager I have too much work?
Show rather than tell. List what's on your plate with rough effort for each, and ask which things matter most and what could wait. It turns a complaint into a decision they can help with.
How do I ask my boss to help me prioritize?
Bring the whole list, mark the two or three you think matter most, and ask whether they'd choose the same. Then confirm what you agreed in a short note.
Is it bad to tell your manager you're overwhelmed?
Usually not, especially when it comes early and with specifics. A list and a question tend to read as good judgment. Silence until something slips tends to read much worse.
What if my manager keeps adding work?
Put each new request on the list in front of them and ask what it replaces. It keeps the trade visible instead of letting the pile grow quietly.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Overload rarely arrives all at once. It builds a request at a time, each one reasonable, each seen only by the person who asked. The only person who can see the whole pile is you, which means you're the one who has to show it. That can feel unfair. It's also where you have more influence than it seems.
From your manager's side, a busy, quiet report looks like a report who's fine. In our experience, a lot of what people describe as a manager problem is really a needs problem in disguise: they haven't said what they need, so the manager never had the chance to help. A manager who hears about the load early can move priorities; one who hears about it through a missed deadline can only react.
“I'm swamped,” said on its own, tends to get reassurance: you're doing great, just do your best. That's kind, and it doesn't change the week. A list gets a decision, and when your manager makes one, it's worth asking why. The reasons behind their choices tell you what they're measured on, which makes the next call easier to make yourself.
This isn't the right move for every overloaded week. If the real problem is two big requests from two people who both outrank you, bring just those two and ask which comes first; a full inventory will bury the question. And if the load feels heavier because of something going on outside work, say that directly. A list of tasks can't explain why you're not yourself.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Workload & wellbeing
A few minutes that compound
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.