Ask HN: How to stop taking on too many projects getting burned out?

9 points by annie_muss 8 days ago

I am currently swamped with projects. I can't point to any particular project and say "This one was to much" but all of them combined have got me totally overwhelmed.

Even though I know I have a tendency to take on too much, I still find myself in this situation repeatedly. I think back to 6 months ago when I was agreeing to do some of these projects and I remember my thought process: 'I better be careful not to take on too much. I better make estimates extremely conservative.'

Nevertheless I find myself having far too much to do and not enough time to do it in.

What techniques do you have for not taking on too much? How do I get to the magical state of being able to underpromise and overdeliver?

andyjohnson0 8 days ago

Is this work or non-work?

If its work then have an honest conversation with your manager and get better at saying no (or, at least, not saying yes). If necessary, leave and find a better working environment.

If these projects are filling your non-work life - otherwise known as Your One and Only Life - then recognise that this isn't sustainable. Just stop, give it a few weeks, go for walks, peoplewatch, breathe. Then choose the project that engages you the most, and which you can fit into a healthy part of your free time, and focus on that. Park the rest.

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world2vec 8 days ago

Whatever estimate you came up with: double it. You think it will take 3 weeks, conservatively? No, it's going to take a month and half. If somehow you deliver earlier then so be it but give yourself ample space to do things properly and avoid burnout.

Another thing, which I'm still learning to do, is saying "No" to new projects until you finish at least one of the WIPs.

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muzani 8 days ago

There's a trap to be careful of here, because your estimate now is 1.5 months, so it's actually going to take 3 months.
The general rule is 80% of the work takes 80% of the time, and the remaining 20% takes 80% of the time. Try to get 80% of it done in 50% of the time.
So the goal should be to get development 80% done in 3 weeks and begin QA by then.

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- throwaway519 7 days ago
  
  Redefine the 20% so it's out of scope.
  
  Reply View | 2 replies
  
  muzani 7 days ago
  
  Often the 20% is polish, and it's there because it brings sales or may be the differentiator.
  There's going to be something that gets redefined and that's where company culture falls.
  
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  throwaway519 7 days ago
  
  Even better, I can send it to my colleagues in Poland to fix.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies

tene80i 8 days ago

Start with asking yourself why you are agreeing to the projects. Is it that you want to do them, or are you being pressured?

If it’s you, then it’s about clarity. If it’s them, then it’s also about clarity.

You need to make your workload clearer to yourself. How can you even know if you have capacity to take on a new project?

You could simply list your projects and commitments / deadlines. Sometimes the list is enough.

You could block out your time, which is your actual resource.

If that’s failing, you could try better estimation, but it’s extremely difficult.

I would argue for simply having a maximum number of spinning plates. Like, two.

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SonuSitebot 8 days ago

I’m in the same boat, working at a startup where taking on multiple projects isn’t really a choice. No matter how careful I am with planning, I still end up overwhelmed. Curious to see what others suggest!

One thing that helps me a bit: I try to prioritize based on impact—if something doesn’t directly contribute to growth, engagement, or key goals, I push it down the list. But still, balancing everything is tough. How do you manage?

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scarface_74 8 days ago

Saying “no” is always a choice. If a startup can’t afford to hire enough people to not stress out its employees, it doesn’t deserve to exist

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- SonuSitebot 7 days ago
  
  I get where you're coming from, but startups often have to make the most of limited resources. It’s less about saying 'no' and more about prioritizing smartly. Have you found a good way to manage workload in a fast-paced environment?
  
  Reply View | 6 replies
  
  scarface_74 7 days ago
  
  My thought doesn’t change. Are you a founder? Are you getting outsized compensation for your work? I manage my workload by being able to communicate trade offs between cost, requirements and time and setting a ceiling on how long I’m willing to work.
  I put in 40 maybe 45 hours of work and the company gets to choose how they get to use that time. I give my input. But they make the decision.
  When I need to do “deep work”, I turn off Slack and email. Even before remote work was a thing, I would tell my managers I need some quiet time to get $x done and I’m working from home. They would get a couple of more hours in from me then.
  I’m not afraid to say “no” traditionally because I thought I could get another job quickly. Things are of course crazier now and I’m a lot less cocky. But I still have a years expenses in the bank in addition to investments.
  I have been working for 30 years almost and I have found that early stage, underfunded startups aren’t worth the effort or the monetary return.
  In my later years, I’ve had multiple opportunities to be a “CTO” or “director” of a startup. The positions were always just a glorified team lead. I’ve said no.
  
  Reply View | 5 replies

pizza 8 days ago

I'd suggest spending more time revisiting your calendar/remembering your current work, and/or finding what's not worth it any more. That way, you can either better say 'no' at the moment of new proposals, or make space for more important work as it comes up. Rather than have looming things that actually aren't as important as the mental space they've occupied.

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hodder 8 days ago

Learn to say no in life. Simple as that. Easy? Not always, but it is simple.

Much like losing weight is simply about being in a caloric deficit - it is truly that simple. It isn't easy mentally but it is that simple.

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chistev 8 days ago

I'm currently joggling three projects and time management is an issue. This time last year I was just hoping for an opportunity, now I'm struggling for time.

I used to pray for times like this.

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Rh4v1_0 8 days ago

Give your projects a deadline. For example, if you want to start making a game but you still did end up that course, end the course first and then start making that game.

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hiAndrewQuinn 7 days ago

The best advice is to simply take on less projects, and close some you currently have going on. It's alright to have limits.

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soumikmahato 8 days ago

Think about the project's future, 5 years from now. Do you still want to continue doing that. If yes, choose that project

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aosaigh 8 days ago

Say no. If you're like me, you don't want to disappoint people so say yes to too many things and end up overworked.

Pick the things you want to work on, not the things people want you to work on.

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