Repair 13: What to Do When You Are Personally Doing Too Much
How to reduce overload without guilt
The Problem
Your days are full.
Your inbox never clears.
And even small tasks feel heavy.
You are not lazy.
You are not failing.
You are carrying too much.
This is one of the most common realities for people doing downtown work, especially when capacity is thin and expectations keep growing.
Why This Keeps Happening
Personal overload builds when:
Everything feels important
You are the default problem-solver
Saying yes feels easier than explaining no
Boundaries blur over time
The work never feels finished
Downtown work expands to fill all available space.
The Fix
The goal is not to work harder.
The goal is to work within real limits.
Here is how to fix it without guilt.
Step 1: Separate What Is Expected From What Is Assumed
Write down:
What you are formally responsible for
What you have picked up along the way
Many tasks live in the second category and no longer need to.
Step 2: Identify What Only You Can Do
Ask yourself:
Does this require my role?
Does this require my authority?
Does this require my judgment?
If the answer is no, it is a candidate to pause, delegate, or stop.
Step 3: Reduce Before You Add
Before agreeing to anything new, remove one thing.
This can be:
A recurring task
A meeting
A side project
Sustainability comes from subtraction.
Step 4: Name Your Capacity Honestly
Capacity is not fixed.
It changes with seasons, staffing, and personal life.
Say it out loud:
“I don’t have capacity for that right now.”
This is not weakness. It is clarity.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Waiting until burnout forces a reset
Assuming no one else will step up
Carrying work to protect others
Measuring value by exhaustion
Being overwhelmed does not make the work better.
What to Do This Week
Try this short reset:
⬜ List everything you are currently carrying
⬜ Circle what only you can do
⬜ Identify one thing to pause or stop
⬜ Say no to one new request
⬜ Block one hour for focused work
Relief often starts with one small boundary.
How We Help
This is a common focus of Capacity and Role Reset Sessions during our Organizational Capacity Building, which help individuals clarify their role, reset expectations, and reduce overload before burnout sets in.
Keep Going
This post is part of The Downtown Repair Manual, a field guide to fixing common downtown problems one issue at a time.
You do not have to carry everything to prove your value.