How to Tackle an Overwhelming Workload with Your Boss

What is the Choices Conversation?

When your boss gives you an overwhelming list of tasks, and the workload becomes unrealistic, how do you handle it without feeling like you're falling short? The answer is simple: you need to have the choices conversation. Trust me, your boss will appreciate it more than you think.

The approach is straightforward: say, “I really want to get all of this done, and it’s important to me that we succeed. I’m having a hard time prioritizing the tasks on my plate. I’ve made a list of what I think is most important and what I might need to set aside if we run out of time. Can you review this with me and ensure I’ve got it right?”

Why the Choices Conversation Works

In their classic book “The One Minute Manager,” Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson advise managers to clearly show employees what good performance looks like. While the old-fashioned "pat on the back" may be outdated, clearly establishing priorities is still something every manager owes their team. Likewise, employees owe it to themselves and their employers to make sure they’re working on the right things.

Why is this so important? Because it’s a mistake to assume that anyone assigning you tasks is fully aware of everything else already on your plate. Even if your instructions come from one manager, it’s unlikely they remember every detail of what you’ve been assigned in the past. Some managers are great at keeping track of workloads, but many are not—and that’s where the choices conversation comes into play.

The Risks of Guessing Priorities

If you’re overwhelmed with tasks and left to decide which to tackle first, the worst thing you can do is guess. Guessing often leads to prioritizing incorrectly, and you might spend valuable time on something less critical to your manager. Without context, you don’t have a full understanding of how each task fits into the bigger picture.

That’s why the choices conversation is so powerful—it eliminates the risk of guessing wrong and ensures you’re aligned with your boss's priorities.

What Managers Love About the Choices Conversation

As a manager, one of the things I appreciate most is when my team asks for clarification on priorities. At any given time, they know they can come to me with their list of assignments and ask me to confirm what’s most important. This simple check-in prevents surprises and ensures that the most critical tasks are handled.

Few things are more unsettling as a manager than expecting a task to be completed, only to find out later that it was pushed aside. I always invest the time to review priorities with my team, and often I’ll discover that something I assigned isn’t as urgent as I initially thought—or worse, that I’ve unintentionally overloaded someone. The last thing any good manager wants is to set their team up for failure, and this conversation helps avoid that.

The Two-Way Street of Effective Management

It’s easy to view management as a one-way process—managers assign tasks, and employees follow orders. But effective management is far more dynamic. Real success comes when managers and their team engage in open, ongoing conversations. Great managers don’t simply tell people what to do; they work together with their team to achieve meaningful success.

The magic happens when employees feel free to openly discuss priorities and managers listen actively. It’s not just about doing things right—it’s about doing the right things. And the choices conversation is the key to making sure both sides are in alignment.

How to Start the Choices Conversation

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks and unsure about what to prioritize, take a proactive approach. Draft a list of your current assignments, note what you think should come first, and be ready to explain why. Then, ask your boss for a quick meeting to review the list.

By framing the conversation around your desire to meet expectations and deliver great results, you show initiative and demonstrate that you’re thinking strategically about your workload. This approach will not only help you feel more confident about your work but also strengthen your relationship with your boss by fostering trust and communication.

Conclusion

Workloads can quickly become overwhelming, but the choices conversation is a simple, effective way to ensure you’re focusing on the right tasks. It’s not just about getting things done—it’s about making sure you're doing what truly matters. When employees and managers have open conversations about priorities, it leads to greater success and less stress for everyone involved.

So, the next time your to-do list feels unmanageable, don’t just guess—have the choices conversation and take control of your workload.