I love to stay organized and to keep on top of my to-list. Monday mornings are for getting on the right track and Friday afternoons are for tying up loose ends before the weekend. (And I still like to keep the hamster wheel spinning on the weekends a little bit.)

Recently, I found myself at the very bottom of a deep hole of work. I had really agreed to do too many things and couldn’t work fast enough to get out of the trenches. I went into overdrive (and over-anxiety) just to get back to a normal level. It really did take a couple of days of extra long hours to reorganize, regroup, and get back into the game. Or at least the starting line again.

Of course, I have found myself slipping back into the hole. I do think that work ebbs and flows and getting a little overwhelmed occasionally means you have the right amount of work on your plate. When you’re in the hole over and over again… that’s when something needs to change. I’m working on solutions for myself right now, which essentially has been enlisting a team to help.

For you, it might be dropping a class. (Side note: I did this my sophomore year and it was the best thing for me. It’s a last resort option, but it meant that I could actually finish the other four classes. One dropped class was worth finishing an otherwise full semester.) It could be dropping from BC Calculus to AB Calculus. Swapping a varsity sport for a club option. Setting up a meeting with your manager to talk about hiring a new employee or paid intern to help.

There are times when getting in a hole is from not being organized and there are times when it’s just a perfect storm of work. (Like when professors assign midterms all in the same week.) But there is a point when you might have just bitten off more than you can chew. Analyze and access to choose the right course of action for getting out!