How to dig out of a work backlog
July 29, 2021 3:10 PM Subscribe
I need advice on how to dig out of a very large backlog at my work, when I already feel pulled in too many directions, and find myself on the verge of burnout.
I am a specialized librarian at a public library. For the past year or so, I have been covering for another librarian who never came back to in-person service, essentially doing two jobs. My normal work entails larger research projects for patrons and more involved reference questions; it also entails ongoing administrative projects, online and in-person events, blog posts and collection development. Covering for the other librarian not only increased my workload but made it so that (without getting into too many specifics) I'm in service to patrons with the greatest need, i.e. those who need help applying to jobs or for food stamps, when normally those patrons would have gone to my colleague. We continue to be short-staffed in other areas; we are also still in the midst of the pandemic.
I am starting to feel pretty burned out and hopeless. I am also grieving the loss of a parent. I am searching for ways to get things back on track.
One thing in my life that it feels like I should be able to control is these overhanging tasks and projects. But I'm so far behind on my work that it now feels like an actual hole I need to make my way out of, and I have both patrons and superiors that are frustrated with my lack of progress on certain larger tasks. Every day it seems I come in, put in my full eight hours and still don't make a dent in the looming things that must get done, because I'm working on equally important things that must get done. (i.e., if someone walks in who has never used email before, and they need help, they are my highest priority. But then I just get further and further behind).
I have tried to communicate to my superiors how deep in the hole I am and how much I would like to get caught back up. I've asked about whether I can work more hours, to make more headway, but they're not able to accommodate that. I, at times, think about quitting, because the situation on some days seems very untenable.
Having said that, there are two areas in which this should improve: at some point in the future, I will hopefully no longer be covering for the other person. And they have offered to give me a couple of hours off of the floor here and there to make inroads on the bigger stuff (I'm usually on the floor all day, minus a lunch break). Still, I need some strategies on how to catch back up, or how to make progress on the old stuff so that I can keep pace with incoming requests. And not continue to slide down the burnout slope.
TLDR: Have you (in any industry) successfully cleared out a major backlog, and, if so, how did you do it?
I am a specialized librarian at a public library. For the past year or so, I have been covering for another librarian who never came back to in-person service, essentially doing two jobs. My normal work entails larger research projects for patrons and more involved reference questions; it also entails ongoing administrative projects, online and in-person events, blog posts and collection development. Covering for the other librarian not only increased my workload but made it so that (without getting into too many specifics) I'm in service to patrons with the greatest need, i.e. those who need help applying to jobs or for food stamps, when normally those patrons would have gone to my colleague. We continue to be short-staffed in other areas; we are also still in the midst of the pandemic.
I am starting to feel pretty burned out and hopeless. I am also grieving the loss of a parent. I am searching for ways to get things back on track.
One thing in my life that it feels like I should be able to control is these overhanging tasks and projects. But I'm so far behind on my work that it now feels like an actual hole I need to make my way out of, and I have both patrons and superiors that are frustrated with my lack of progress on certain larger tasks. Every day it seems I come in, put in my full eight hours and still don't make a dent in the looming things that must get done, because I'm working on equally important things that must get done. (i.e., if someone walks in who has never used email before, and they need help, they are my highest priority. But then I just get further and further behind).
I have tried to communicate to my superiors how deep in the hole I am and how much I would like to get caught back up. I've asked about whether I can work more hours, to make more headway, but they're not able to accommodate that. I, at times, think about quitting, because the situation on some days seems very untenable.
Having said that, there are two areas in which this should improve: at some point in the future, I will hopefully no longer be covering for the other person. And they have offered to give me a couple of hours off of the floor here and there to make inroads on the bigger stuff (I'm usually on the floor all day, minus a lunch break). Still, I need some strategies on how to catch back up, or how to make progress on the old stuff so that I can keep pace with incoming requests. And not continue to slide down the burnout slope.
TLDR: Have you (in any industry) successfully cleared out a major backlog, and, if so, how did you do it?
You should ask your superiors for prioritization rather than more hours.
If we were chatting right now here is what I would want to know. Are the people who are frustrated with you:
(1) actually frustrated? (and it's not just your perfectionism/desire to please influencing your perception?)
(2) understand & accept that these tasks come second to helping the in-person patrons?
(3) provided you with clear, attainable goals that solve an actual need? Does each one of these projects have a plan, with a beginning, middle, and end?
I would start with that - each project should have a plan, with defined steps of things you can actually do within a given time frame.
Then I would suggest you track your time for a few days and see if there's a pattern to how much time you spend with in-person patrons and how much time you have for research.
For the amount of time you have for research each day, how much can you spend on each project, and from there, how much time will each project need based on the steps you defined above. Then you will have an estimate for how much time each existing project will need. Then your superiors can decide if that's enough time or if they want it done before then, then they will have to either give you more time or more support. But you are not a machine and you can only do what you can do.
Also please don't forget that none of this is your personal failure. It's the failure of anyone who ever thinks 1 person can do 2 peoples' jobs at the same time. You are doing your best and it sounds like you're putting in a huge amount of effort that's not being recognized or appreciated. These internet strangers can see it even if no one around you can.
posted by bleep at 3:42 PM on July 29, 2021 [9 favorites]
If we were chatting right now here is what I would want to know. Are the people who are frustrated with you:
(1) actually frustrated? (and it's not just your perfectionism/desire to please influencing your perception?)
(2) understand & accept that these tasks come second to helping the in-person patrons?
(3) provided you with clear, attainable goals that solve an actual need? Does each one of these projects have a plan, with a beginning, middle, and end?
I would start with that - each project should have a plan, with defined steps of things you can actually do within a given time frame.
Then I would suggest you track your time for a few days and see if there's a pattern to how much time you spend with in-person patrons and how much time you have for research.
For the amount of time you have for research each day, how much can you spend on each project, and from there, how much time will each project need based on the steps you defined above. Then you will have an estimate for how much time each existing project will need. Then your superiors can decide if that's enough time or if they want it done before then, then they will have to either give you more time or more support. But you are not a machine and you can only do what you can do.
Also please don't forget that none of this is your personal failure. It's the failure of anyone who ever thinks 1 person can do 2 peoples' jobs at the same time. You are doing your best and it sounds like you're putting in a huge amount of effort that's not being recognized or appreciated. These internet strangers can see it even if no one around you can.
posted by bleep at 3:42 PM on July 29, 2021 [9 favorites]
Give your superiors a list and ask them what they want you to concentrate on, as it's clear you cannot do more and have to pick and choose. If they refuse to make a decision, concentrate on one random item every day (throw a dice or whatever), AND document their lack of decision. Please also note that you are effectively holding TWO jobs and you sound like you're not getting a raise either. Document EVERYTHING (including prior pleas for more staff or tighter responsibilities), and make sure you have backups for your next performance review.
You *could* look for shortcuts or more efficient ways of doing things, but this will only encourage your superiors to assign you more work, IMHO. Still, if this makes for a more satisfying work environment, go ahead and look for those ways, which usually involves:
1) Prioritization: trying to put the most impactful items with least effort up front
2) Parallelism: try to do more than one thing at a time, esp. if you can start on one thing and leave it so you can start on something else.
3) Delegation: get someone else to do it, either locally or remote. This may be difficult as you may not have anyone else you can use. But one possibility is create FAQs and checklists for people who need foodstamps and whatnot so they can at least complete the process partially instead of you handholding all the way, which is also a bit of parallelism.
4) Volunteerism: not sure if you are allowed to, but are there volunteer positions in the library that can take some of these foodstamp or application work off of you? It's pretty much training the person to go over a checklist (minimal training) (sort of delegation)
posted by kschang at 4:26 PM on July 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
You *could* look for shortcuts or more efficient ways of doing things, but this will only encourage your superiors to assign you more work, IMHO. Still, if this makes for a more satisfying work environment, go ahead and look for those ways, which usually involves:
1) Prioritization: trying to put the most impactful items with least effort up front
2) Parallelism: try to do more than one thing at a time, esp. if you can start on one thing and leave it so you can start on something else.
3) Delegation: get someone else to do it, either locally or remote. This may be difficult as you may not have anyone else you can use. But one possibility is create FAQs and checklists for people who need foodstamps and whatnot so they can at least complete the process partially instead of you handholding all the way, which is also a bit of parallelism.
4) Volunteerism: not sure if you are allowed to, but are there volunteer positions in the library that can take some of these foodstamp or application work off of you? It's pretty much training the person to go over a checklist (minimal training) (sort of delegation)
posted by kschang at 4:26 PM on July 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
Having had jobs like both of the ones you’re describing, I can totally see how being essentially always “on desk” and available for reference and tech help is completely at odds with your other admin/programs/research support role.
Is there a way that you can write to those who you’re in process with on research projects and explain you are only able to give X% of your time to your normal duties because of the current work situation? People understanding might help you feel less pressure in this department. Also, all incoming requests get this info too: “Due to staffing circumstances caused by the pandemic….”
Is your institution willing to hire a temporary substitute for the “on desk” tasks?
Do you have guaranteed time “off desk” to work on your research projects right now? If not, I can’t imagine trying to focus enough to make headway on them when you’re interrupted constantly.
Focus is different right now. Especially with your recent loss of a parent. Please be gentle with yourself and don’t expect that you can work your way out of an impossible setup. You need additional staff to assist you or time while the building is closed AND management of everyone’s expectations.
posted by zem at 5:15 PM on July 29, 2021
Is there a way that you can write to those who you’re in process with on research projects and explain you are only able to give X% of your time to your normal duties because of the current work situation? People understanding might help you feel less pressure in this department. Also, all incoming requests get this info too: “Due to staffing circumstances caused by the pandemic….”
Is your institution willing to hire a temporary substitute for the “on desk” tasks?
Do you have guaranteed time “off desk” to work on your research projects right now? If not, I can’t imagine trying to focus enough to make headway on them when you’re interrupted constantly.
Focus is different right now. Especially with your recent loss of a parent. Please be gentle with yourself and don’t expect that you can work your way out of an impossible setup. You need additional staff to assist you or time while the building is closed AND management of everyone’s expectations.
posted by zem at 5:15 PM on July 29, 2021
I agree that you should ask for prioritization, but if it's like most other jobs with a customer-facing component, you will be told 'customer service comes first'. So, in my opinion the best you can do is help as many people as come to you for help at the desk, and create an 'automatic' email reply that says "due to our current staffing situation, internal research requests have to come after customer service. We will try to get your request done in a timely manner, but please be aware that it could take longer than average at this time"
posted by TimHare at 7:12 PM on July 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by TimHare at 7:12 PM on July 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
"One thing in my life that it feels like I should be able to control is these overhanging tasks and projects."
Who's voice is that? Especially the should part. Who or what part of you is saying you 'should' do anything? What if you were to let the whole notion go?
Because sure, you may be able to control tasks and projects, but you are currently working two jobs (and on the verge of quitting), experiencing stages of burnout, not getting the support or resources you need, grieving the loss of a parent, and all during a global pandemic. Even if you did control tasks and projects under these super stacked conditions, it's highly unlikely you will FEEL in control of those things, and enjoy the benefits you seek from that.
The solution isn't work harder and longer.
"Having said that, there are two areas in which this should improve…"
Just want to point out here that the assumption in this is that a change in your external circumstances is going to result in you feeling better. This may be true in some slow-rolling, indirect way, but it's not the solution for what's happening now.
"I need some strategies on how to catch back up, or how to make progress on the old stuff so that I can keep pace with incoming requests. And not continue to slide down the burnout slope."
These two sentences are incompatible with each other. I'd personally rip out the middle bit, leaving you with the one sentence: I need some strategies on how to not continue to slide down the burnout slope.
Mainly because you don't want to be making decisions, doing work, and grieving from a place of increasing hopelessness and burnout. You want to be doing these things from a place of increasing confidence and calm, where you're holding things more lightly and are free from distraction by what's not important.
You want to be working from the inside out, not outside in. Meaning, start with the feelings and state, then to the immediate work, then the circumstances surrounding. Rather than making or waiting for the circumstances to change so that you can think differently about it all and therefore feel better.
I hope this perspective shift inspires some new strategies for you. I won't suggest any because I believe you know what's best for you when starting on the inside.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:34 AM on July 30, 2021 [4 favorites]
Who's voice is that? Especially the should part. Who or what part of you is saying you 'should' do anything? What if you were to let the whole notion go?
Because sure, you may be able to control tasks and projects, but you are currently working two jobs (and on the verge of quitting), experiencing stages of burnout, not getting the support or resources you need, grieving the loss of a parent, and all during a global pandemic. Even if you did control tasks and projects under these super stacked conditions, it's highly unlikely you will FEEL in control of those things, and enjoy the benefits you seek from that.
The solution isn't work harder and longer.
"Having said that, there are two areas in which this should improve…"
Just want to point out here that the assumption in this is that a change in your external circumstances is going to result in you feeling better. This may be true in some slow-rolling, indirect way, but it's not the solution for what's happening now.
"I need some strategies on how to catch back up, or how to make progress on the old stuff so that I can keep pace with incoming requests. And not continue to slide down the burnout slope."
These two sentences are incompatible with each other. I'd personally rip out the middle bit, leaving you with the one sentence: I need some strategies on how to not continue to slide down the burnout slope.
Mainly because you don't want to be making decisions, doing work, and grieving from a place of increasing hopelessness and burnout. You want to be doing these things from a place of increasing confidence and calm, where you're holding things more lightly and are free from distraction by what's not important.
You want to be working from the inside out, not outside in. Meaning, start with the feelings and state, then to the immediate work, then the circumstances surrounding. Rather than making or waiting for the circumstances to change so that you can think differently about it all and therefore feel better.
I hope this perspective shift inspires some new strategies for you. I won't suggest any because I believe you know what's best for you when starting on the inside.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:34 AM on July 30, 2021 [4 favorites]
I don't know how much that getting prioritization from managers would change anything, the circumstances of the two jobs together kind of set your priorities for you. I'd contact all of your research "customers" (or w/e) and tell them the library is short staffed these days, so their work is going to take longer.
I think you know your job is mostly to do your coworker's job for now, so you can task your bosses with finding the helpdesk replacement for your departed coworker. "How's that search coming along?" you might ask them on an at-least-weekly basis. At least if you quit there won't be any confusion about why it's happening.
Maybe you can direct your research users in doing their own research as a way of moving those tasks along? Are there any resources you can create that will help your helpdesk users solve their own problems a little more often?
posted by rhizome at 1:42 AM on July 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
I think you know your job is mostly to do your coworker's job for now, so you can task your bosses with finding the helpdesk replacement for your departed coworker. "How's that search coming along?" you might ask them on an at-least-weekly basis. At least if you quit there won't be any confusion about why it's happening.
Maybe you can direct your research users in doing their own research as a way of moving those tasks along? Are there any resources you can create that will help your helpdesk users solve their own problems a little more often?
posted by rhizome at 1:42 AM on July 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm not the best person to give you advice because I'm cranky and irritable but you're doing two jobs for the price of one. Every time, your superiors give you a hard time, you need to bring that up. You can do one job well or two jobs half as well. Ask your bosses to hire someone to replace your former co-worker or find volunteers to help out.
You aren't failing. You've been asked to do two people's work for over a year. Your employer is taking huge advantage of you. This is a good time to job hunt. Maybe look around and see if anything better is available.
posted by stray thoughts at 5:58 PM on July 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
You aren't failing. You've been asked to do two people's work for over a year. Your employer is taking huge advantage of you. This is a good time to job hunt. Maybe look around and see if anything better is available.
posted by stray thoughts at 5:58 PM on July 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
One bite at a time.
Time-box each part of this role. Check off some progress toward each, and don't jump between roles because the cost of switching from one context to another eats time. Pay the cost of planning this time and accounting for each role, it also eats into time you'd spend doing the thing.
Kudos for working your agreed 8 hours and calling out the deficit. May you soon have collaborators to carry this load.
posted by k3ninho at 3:32 PM on July 29, 2021 [1 favorite]