You're feeling overwhelmed with your community organizing workload. How can you manage it all?

1 Identify your sources of stress

The first step to managing your workload is to identify what is causing you stress. Is it the amount of work, the complexity of the tasks, the expectations of others, or the lack of support? Once you know what is triggering your anxiety, you can address it more effectively. For example, if you are stressed by the amount of work, you can break it down into smaller and more manageable chunks. If you are stressed by the complexity of the tasks, you can seek guidance from mentors or experts. If you are stressed by the expectations of others, you can communicate your limits and boundaries clearly. And if you are stressed by the lack of support, you can reach out to your colleagues, friends, or family for help.

3 Delegate effectively

The third step to managing your workload is to delegate effectively. Delegation is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength and leadership. It allows you to leverage the skills, talents, and resources of others, while freeing up your time and energy for more strategic and creative tasks. However, delegation requires trust, communication, and feedback. You need to trust your team members to do their jobs well, communicate your expectations and goals clearly, and provide constructive feedback and recognition. You also need to be flexible and adaptable, as delegation may involve some risks and uncertainties. You can use tools like Trello, Asana, or Slack to manage your delegation process and track your team's progress.

4 Optimize your productivity

Optimizing your productivity is the fourth step to managing your workload. It's not about working harder or longer, but about working smarter and more efficiently. To do this, you should set SMART goals and break them down into actionable steps, create a realistic and flexible schedule and stick to it, avoid distractions and interruptions such as social media, emails, or phone calls by setting aside dedicated time for them, use the Pomodoro technique (working in 25-minute intervals followed by 5-minute breaks), and take care of your physical and mental health (getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising, meditating, or relaxing).

5 Celebrate your achievements

The fifth step to managing your workload is to celebrate your achievements. Community organizing can be a long and hard journey, but it is important to recognize and appreciate your efforts and accomplishments, no matter how small. Celebrating your successes can boost morale, motivation, and confidence, as well as strengthen relationships with your team and community. You can do this by sharing success stories and lessons learned with your network, expressing gratitude to team members, supporters, and partners, rewarding yourself or your team with something fun or meaningful like a party or gift, or reflecting on your growth as a community organizer and setting new goals for the future.

6 Seek feedback and support

The sixth and final step to managing your workload is to seek feedback and support. It is essential to learn from experiences, challenges, and mistakes, and to improve your skills, knowledge, and strategies. Additionally, it is beneficial to rely on the support and guidance of mentors, peers, allies, or coaches. You can do this by asking for honest and constructive feedback from your team members, stakeholders, or beneficiaries. Joining or creating a community of practice or a network of community organizers who share your vision and values is also a great way to get support. Seeking professional or personal coaching or counseling can provide more specialized or individualized support. Lastly, participating in training, workshops, or events can enhance your community organizing skills or knowledge.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?