Business expert reveals how to ask your boss to stop drowning you in work without risking your job

Many employees in the United States feel overwhelmed and burned out at work, usually because their boss keeps giving them more tasks or assignments. This can create an awkward situation in which someone has to ask their boss to lower the workload while fearing the conversation could jeopardize their job or a potential promotion. However, there's a way to navigate it.

Business expert and leadership speaker Simon Sinek offered advice in a video on Instagram. He recommends shifting the topic of the conversation from your workload to your boss' priorities. According to Sinek, this approach can not only help during the discussion but also create a system that prevents overwork in the future.

By saying, "Hey, could you help me prioritize all the tasks you want me to do so I know which ones are most important?" instead of, "I have too much on my plate. Could you reassign these tasks?" you're putting the focus on the work rather than on yourself. People on Reddit have said this approach has worked for them.

Using this priority-based framing can help in several ways. It gives your boss a full view of your entire to-do list, which may help them realize they've put too much on your plate and prompt them to reassign the additional tasks. If not, it encourages them to rank tasks by priority, leaving less blame on you if lower-priority items aren't finished on time.

In either case, you'll now have a system in place whenever your boss asks you to do another assignment. Each time a new task is added before others are completed, everyone will know which ones take priority, putting the accountability on your boss instead of leaving you guessing where to focus your energy. In fact, it can help prevent work-related anxiety or burnout, since you'll know exactly which task to do first when you start your workday.

Here are some suggestions for how to frame your response when your boss gives you an additional task:

• Hey, I'm happy to take this on. Which of my current priorities should I move to make room for it?
• I can take on [insert assignment], but I want to do it well. What should I pause or push back to keep the deadlines realistic?
• I can take on this task, but I still have the following to complete. [Show to-do list] Could you help me organize these by priority so I can work more efficiently and meet the most important deadlines first?
• Can we go over my current tasks as I take this one on to make sure I'm focused on the most important priorities?
• I'm glad to do this, but I'm also assigned to [insert higher-priority task]. Which one would you like me to focus on today?

Overall, framing the conversation around priorities can give you the slack you need to do your job well without feeling overwhelmed or having your boss question your work ethic or ability.