Managing Workloads Effectively When Things Get Busy

Every morning, leaders across the country face the same crushing reality. Sarah Martinez knows it well. She arrived at her office at 6:45 AM, coffee in hand, only to find three urgent emails, a missed call from a key client, and two team members calling in sick. Her calendar, already packed with back-to-back meetings, now needed to absorb their workload too. The irony wasn't lost on her: as teams get leaner, leaders spend more time doing and less time leading. The conventional wisdom fails us here. "Just delegate more," the experts say. But to whom? When teams are stretched thin, traditional time management advice falls flat. The real solution lies deeper, in the space between efficiency and reality. The truth is, most leaders are drowning in plain sight. They're running faster on the same hamster wheel, trying to solve tomorrow's challenges with yesterday's time management tools. Too often, a leader’s calendar isn't a record of their own commitments – it's a diary of other people's priorities. But there's a better way. Here are 7 unconventional strategies that actually work in the real world: 1. The "Energy Audit" Calendar: Your calendar lies to you. It shows time blocks but hides energy costs. Start color-coding meetings based on energy required, not just time consumed. Red for high-stakes dealings. Yellow for creative work. Green for routine tasks. Schedule around your energy peaks, not just open slots. The difference is immediate and profound. 2. The "Batch and Bank" Method: Look at your sent emails. How many times have you explained the same concept? Record these explanations once, then share them repeatedly. One-to-one becomes one-to-many. Your time multiplies. 3. "Productive Procrastination": Everyone procrastinates. The trick is making it work for you. When avoiding one task, channel that energy into completing another. Keep a list of important but non-urgent tasks for these moments. Turn avoidance into advancement. 4. "Decision Sprints": Decision fatigue is real. Combat it by front-loading your minor decisions. Twenty minutes each morning to decide the decidable. Your afternoon self will thank you. 5. "Template Everything": Recurring situations demand recurring solutions. Create frameworks for everything – meeting agendas, project reviews, even email responses. Complex becomes routine. Routine becomes automatic. 6. The "Power Hour" Principle: Be visible but unreachable for one hour daily. Your team will learn to solve problems independently while knowing you're there if truly needed. It's not abandonment – it's empowerment. 7. The "Future You" Strategy: End each day by preparing for tomorrow's first task. Fifteen minutes invested today saves thirty tomorrow. Your morning self deserves this gift. The best system isn't the most complex or the most innovative. It's the one you'll actually use. Start small. Pick one strategy. Master it. Then move forward. Your team is watching, waiting to follow your lead. Show them a better way.

Let’s Talk About Time. People have ask me in the past how I manage to get so much done. It’s simply a method. I built a surgical time management system years ago that's essentially a hybrid of three "proven frameworks"; it's customized to match me. When I follow it, the output speaks for itself. People assume I’m a machine. Lately, I’ve been loose with it. Not off-track, but not dialed in like I should be. That’s changing now. Especially since I will be starting a Masters of Engineering in the spring. I call it "The Method to my Madness" The Eisenhower → Mind Map → Time Block Method: Achieve High Quality Volume Output, Stay Sharp, and Get More Done If you want high-quality output at a high volume, you need more than motivation. You need discipline and a bonafide system. This one works; it's not for staying busy. It's for execution and precision: 1. Start with the Eisenhower Matrix Often viewed as a productivity hack, it's more of a filter that separates movement from progress. Urgent & Important → Do it now. Important but Not Urgent → Schedule it. Urgent but Not Important → Delegate it. Neither → Delete it. Delete a lot. As much as possible. Majority of people stay stuck in reaction mode because they never clarify what actually deserves their time in a prioritized manner. 2. Turn Priorities those into a Mind Map. Brainstorm. Think about requirements and deliverables. Once you know what matters, you build your mind map. This is how you visualize your goals, responsibilities, and projects, as well as identify connections between different pieces and outcomes. Architect a snapshot of your entire battlefield.. This map is your battle strategy. Every node should be a calculated move. Every connection is a dependency. Now, you’re never guessing because you have a clear vision and path. 3. Convert the Map into EXCEL Time Blocks Here it get's surgical. Start with hour blocks but get used to honoring a schedule. Tighten it to 30-minute blocks once you’re zoned in. Eventually move to 15-minute or even 5-minute blocks when you need total control. Use 45-minute blocks to leave time for review, margin, or re-alignment Don't go cramming your calendar. You need to be constructing clarity. Every minute needs to have has a purpose, resulting in every block equaling an output. Why It Works? Well, I lived it, for 4 years. But it works because: You stop reacting and start executing. You make fewer, better decisions. You get more done in less time. You create time instead of losing it to friction. If you want to achieve a lot, don’t leave your output to chance. You need to engineer a laser focused lens, structure your days, and block YOUR time like it’s a currency. If your work matters, your time should too. Start with the matrix. Build the map. Block the time. And watch your execution go from good to elite. Always take time to REFLECT. Everyday, reflect.

I Was on the Brink of Burnout (Here’s How I Turned It Around.) Last year, I hit a wall. It was late 2024, and I was juggling three clients at once. Here’s how my plate looked: For two clients, I was responsible for documenting workpapers. For another, I was handling more than 30 IT application controls and managing budgets and actuals for their entire engagement. September came, and everything spiraled out of control. Three clients. Three managers. Three teams. Multiple deadlines. 45-hour weeks. I started working on ad hoc tasks just to survive. But the cracks were showing. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and ready to give up. Then, a thought struck me; a lesson I had heard from Ankur Warikoo, someone I admire deeply. He once said, “Your brain’s job isn’t to remember things; it’s to understand and execute them.” That changed everything for me. I realized my problem wasn’t just the workload. It was how I managed it. Here’s what I did. I stopped relying on my brain to track everything. Instead, I used OneNote to manage tasks for each client. Step 1: I created three pages—one for each client. Step 2: Each day, I added a new heading with the date and listed every task as a checkbox. Step 3: For each task, I estimated how long it would take and noted it in brackets. Step 4: At the start of the day, I planned my available hours. If I had 9 hours and 6 were already allocated, I knew I could only take on 3 more hours of work. This simple system changed everything. I met my deadlines. I stopped feeling overwhelmed. I didn’t need to remember tasks anymore. Everything was written down. By the end of the day, I knew exactly what was done and what needed to be carried forward. The biggest lesson? Your brain is for thinking, not for remembering. Let tools handle the memory part. You’ll save your energy for what really matters—getting the work done. #itaudit #risk #internalaudit #riskmanagement #timemanagement #job #career #success #productivity

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. Years ago, I thought time management was: ↳ Making to-do lists, ↳ Planning everything on a schedule, ↳ And still not getting everything done. But I learned the hard way: It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing it right. Here are 12 game-changing strategies: (that truly transformed my productivity) 1/ Anti-To-Do List: Track what not to do (low-value tasks or habits that waste time). 2/ The Rule of Three: Instead of endless task lists, set just 3 key priorities per day. 3/ Time-Stamped Planning: Estimate time for each task, so your schedule isn’t just a wish list. 4/ Switching Tax Awareness: Switching between tasks can cost up to 40% of your productivity—minimize it. 5/ Waiting Time Hack: Use waiting in line or commuting for micro-tasks (replying to emails or listening to audiobooks). 6/ 90-Min Deep Work Cycle: Your brain works best in 90-minute focus sprints followed by breaks. 7/ Day Theming: Assign specific tasks to certain days (e.g., Mondays for planning, Fridays for networking). 8/ Set Hard Stops: Decide when work must end to prevent overworking and force efficiency. 9/ Productive Boredom: Allow quiet time for creative thinking (no phone, no music). 10/ Just Start Rule: When procrastinating, commit to just 2 minutes of a task—momentum usually follows. 11/ Multiplier Tasks: Some tasks (automating a workflow or hiring the right person) save you time forever. 12/ Manage Energy, Not Just Time: Track when you’re naturally most focused and schedule deep work. Time is the only resource you can’t get back. Manage it wisely. ♻️ Share this with your network. ☝️ For more valuable insights, follow me, Victoria Repa.