# Ep. 279 — Confronting Overload
URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/963424a9-f4e3-41cf-8aed-b161a4cb8392
Author:: Deep Questions with Cal Newport
## Highlights
> Episode AI notes
> 1. The common misconception about workload management is to keep the workload just below the maximum obligations to avoid feeling overloaded. However, this approach is flawed because the obligations are like a giant super tanker on the ocean, making it difficult to make sudden adjustments.
> 2. When feeling overwhelmed, the first step is to immediately reduce the tasks on your plate to alleviate stress. This doesn't have to be directly related to the specific situation causing the stress, but rather any task that can be removed to provide immediate relief.
> 3. Systematize the workload by creating a plan for how the work will get done. Although this doesn't reduce the amount of work or the total hours spent, it significantly improves the psychological experience of facing and executing the work.
> 4. It is important to plan to prevent similar overload in the future, as it can work really well and is often missed by people.
> 5. Set quotas on work you can\u2019t say no to: Setting quotas for work that is part of your role but has an unlimited supply helps in managing the workload efficiently. By deciding in advance what your limit is, you can avoid being overwhelmed and ensure that you focus on the most critical tasks.
> 6. Consider using future time blocking, a powerful tool for managing novel or uncertain work. Block out time in advance on your calendar for big projects that are still far in the future, helping to manage incoming work effectively.
> 7. Having an automatic no list is crucial, especially for individuals in the public eye. It involves automatically saying no to certain things without hesitation. Practicing a hard no is equally important. When saying no, it's essential to be firm and not provide wiggle room or make excuses. Giving people a clear and definitive no allows them to move on without expecting a different answer.
> 8. Defaulting to deferred yeses means postponing immediate decisions and commitments by expressing interest and deferring the response. By doing so, it avoids saying no in the moment and signals conscientious scheduling, responsibility, and reliability. This approach buys time and creates breathing room for making informed decisions.
> 9. Work positions should be considered in terms of the controllability of workload, in addition to other factors like the content of the work. In the American context, the content of the work is often the dominant way work is judged.
> 10. Having an automatic no-list also involves not replying automatically to certain communications, even when they bypass filters.
> 11. Complex systems for storing and connecting information don't offer much payoff in creative production. For those who think for a living, important ideas emerge in the brain and require old-fashioned intellectual work. A system cannot do the thinking or make it simpler. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/bc3d9a11-75d0-42c5-8040-a02d49fec635))
> Misconception about managing workload and overload
> Summary:
> The common misconception about workload management is to keep the workload just below the maximum obligations to avoid feeling overloaded. However, this approach is flawed because the obligations are like a giant super tanker on the ocean, making it difficult to make sudden adjustments. The obligation count doesn't allow for quick stops or turns, meaning that adjustments take a long time and distance, similar to a large ship sliding before changing direction or stopping.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> We have a broken mental model for how overload actually operates. Most people think, here's what you do. You select a workload and you want it to be close to but below the maxed obligations. So maybe I'm putting a red line here across. You say, yeah, I'll just make my workload here. Keep it steady over time right below that max obligations dotted line threshold. So I'll be getting a lot done without feeling overloaded. The reason why this doesn't work is that in reality, your obligation count is like a giant super tanker on the ocean. When you get it moving in a given direction, you can't just stop it on time. You can't just stop where you are and make a quick turn. If you want to start turning, you're going to slide for a long time in one direction until you can finally turn the directions. If you want to stop because you don't want to hit an iceberg in front of you, it could take you, and I've seen these numbers before, miles before that big mass comes to a complete stop. ([Time 0:07:39](https://share.snipd.com/snip/bf6a83ef-7a23-4660-ba7f-bd09b9779446))
> Immediate Stress Relief through Task Reduction
> Summary:
> When feeling overwhelmed, the first step is to immediately reduce the tasks on your plate to alleviate stress. This doesn't have to be directly related to the specific situation causing the stress, but rather any task that can be removed to provide immediate relief.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Step number one, reduce what you can right away. You have that moment of, oh my God, I have too much on my plate. I'm stressed out. Typically, this comes after you're confronting some reality of your calendar. You're like, my God, how am I going to get this all done? I feel so busy to get some relief right away. What can I take off my plate? It doesn't have to be related to the final thing that pushed you over the edge. ([Time 0:10:53](https://share.snipd.com/snip/5f8b813d-c4e7-48ed-98bd-6a5946816930))
> Systematizing Workload for Improved Execution
> Summary:
> Systematize the workload by creating a plan for how the work will get done. Although this doesn't reduce the amount of work or the total hours spent, it significantly improves the psychological experience of facing and executing the work.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Step number two, systematize the workload that remains. So okay, here's what I have to do after I've simplified what I can. I now need a plan for how this work is going to get done. Doing a plan for how the work is going to get done does not reduce the amount of work you have to do. It does not even reduce the total number of hours when you add it up. You spend on the work, but it can make the psychological experience of facing and executing this work much improved. ([Time 0:12:58](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9d21a044-be66-4be4-8792-66d620ca6e4b))
> Planning to Prevent Future Overload
> Summary:
> It is important to plan to prevent similar overload in the future, as it can work really well and is often missed by people.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> And then step three, and this is one that is often missed and it surprises some people, but it works really well. Plan to prevent similar overload in the future. ([Time 0:16:33](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d2228cf4-7db0-4c29-aada-06b4ef9e2305))
> Set quotas on work you can’t say no to
> Summary:
> Setting quotas for work that is part of your role but has an unlimited supply helps in managing the workload efficiently. By deciding in advance what your limit is, you can avoid being overwhelmed and ensure that you focus on the most critical tasks.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> One quote us, certain type of work that you need to do as part of your position, but that you have an unlimited supply of this work coming in. So at some point you're going to have to say no, you decide in advance what your limit is. ([Time 0:18:55](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a8abc359-e3bc-4f21-8538-c7ede5e692ba))
> Using future time blocking for big projects
> Summary:
> Consider using future time blocking, a powerful tool for managing novel or uncertain work. Block out time in advance on your calendar for big projects that are still far in the future, helping to manage incoming work effectively.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Something you can consider doing, especially when you feel like there's a lot of incoming that's novel. This is not work I normally do. I don't have a great instinct for how much time it's going to take, but I feel pressured to say yes is future time blocking. This is something I talk about a little bit, I believe in the introduction to my time block planner or I talk about the discipline, but it's a very powerful tool. Or what you do is for when new things are coming in, you say I'm going to go and block in advance on my calendar. So it's like I'm time blocking days that are still way in the future when this work is going to get done. ([Time 0:20:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b83dd565-4bc5-488f-9686-198649d2b519))
> Automatoc no list, and practise your hard no
> Summary:
> Having an automatic no list is crucial, especially for individuals in the public eye. It involves automatically saying no to certain things without hesitation. Practicing a hard no is equally important. When saying no, it's essential to be firm and not provide wiggle room or make excuses. Giving people a clear and definitive no allows them to move on without expecting a different answer.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> You can also have automatic no list. Definitely people in the public eye like myself have this. These are things I just automatically say no to. I don't even have to think about it. You can also practice hard nose. If you are going to say no, just say no. You can be apologetic, but don't give wiggle room. Don't say I don't think I can do this. But I mean, you know, I mean, a less like we could find a way to work it around or maybe there's somewhere else. Some other way it can be helpful in organizing this. Then people just go right back around and throw a bunch of work on your plate anyways. If you're going to say no, give people the courtesy of a hard no so they know to move on. ([Time 0:22:34](https://share.snipd.com/snip/2b8457d7-f057-4170-b211-ac76f0794e1f))
> Defaulting to deferred yeses
> Summary:
> Defaulting to deferred yeses means postponing immediate decisions and commitments by expressing interest and deferring the response. By doing so, it avoids saying no in the moment and signals conscientious scheduling, responsibility, and reliability. This approach buys time and creates breathing room for making informed decisions.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Consider having a default of deferred yeses. So even if you think you are going to say yes to something or you're not sure, but you have to get back to someone, say, look, that sounds interesting. Let me get back to you on Monday. That's when I go over my schedule and plan. I'll see what's going on. I'll get back to you. That's an easy response to have. You should not say no to someone in the moment. It also shows and signals to the other person that you are a conscientious scheduler. You know what's going on with your time that you're responsible and reliable. So you've planted that seed and you've bought yourself some breathing room. ([Time 0:23:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/69c1b7f8-c38f-432a-bcae-fc122533b35c))
> Consider workload predictability when choosing work
> Summary:
> Work positions should be considered in terms of the controllability of workload, in addition to other factors like the content of the work. In the American context, the content of the work is often the dominant way work is judged.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> We don't enough think about work positions in terms of the controllability of workload. There's a lot of things we use to measure the desirability of work positions. The two most obvious ones being content of the work. This is probably in the American context, the most dominant way we judge work. ([Time 0:25:47](https://share.snipd.com/snip/122f271b-fe3e-443c-9567-62c76286d8b7))
> Automatic nos also come with an automatic no reply
> Summary:
> Having an automatic no-list also involves not replying automatically to certain communications, even when they bypass filters.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> The notion of an automatic no-list includes an automatic no-reply. At some point, there's a lot of communication that comes to you that gets around the filters. Really the best thing to do is not to reply. ([Time 0:31:41](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a8859b19-0e4b-4629-9406-5eb3ee414c4d))
> What Cal thinks of Second Brain systems
> Summary:
> Complex systems for storing and connecting information don't offer much payoff in creative production. For those who think for a living, important ideas emerge in the brain and require old-fashioned intellectual work. A system cannot do the thinking or make it simpler.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> I could have a system that had all of this that tagged it and cross connected it where I could do searches or explore connections. But in my experience, that extra element of complexity in the storage and connection of information doesn't pay off much. And in the end, if you work in the creative production, thinking is thinking. The idea that a system is going to do thinking for you or make that thinking more simple. It's not usually how it works. Typically for those of us who think for a living, the ideas that are important emerge in our brain sort of festered and begin working on it. And then you want to be able to look up, you know, oh, yeah, I read this article. It could be useful here, but it's just old fashioned grinding intellectual work of the type we talked about in last week's episode, right? Talked about what goes into being a serious thinker. It's just your brain doing stuff. ([Time 0:40:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/81f4d398-d7ea-4b97-8ab4-8c7093ec7daa))
---
Title: Ep. 279 — Confronting Overload
Author: Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Tags: readwise, podcasts
date: 2024-01-30
---
# Ep. 279 — Confronting Overload
URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/963424a9-f4e3-41cf-8aed-b161a4cb8392
Author:: Deep Questions with Cal Newport
## AI-Generated Summary
None
## Highlights
> Episode AI notes
> 1. The common misconception about workload management is to keep the workload just below the maximum obligations to avoid feeling overloaded. However, this approach is flawed because the obligations are like a giant super tanker on the ocean, making it difficult to make sudden adjustments.
> 2. When feeling overwhelmed, the first step is to immediately reduce the tasks on your plate to alleviate stress. This doesn't have to be directly related to the specific situation causing the stress, but rather any task that can be removed to provide immediate relief.
> 3. Systematize the workload by creating a plan for how the work will get done. Although this doesn't reduce the amount of work or the total hours spent, it significantly improves the psychological experience of facing and executing the work.
> 4. It is important to plan to prevent similar overload in the future, as it can work really well and is often missed by people.
> 5. Set quotas on work you can\u2019t say no to: Setting quotas for work that is part of your role but has an unlimited supply helps in managing the workload efficiently. By deciding in advance what your limit is, you can avoid being overwhelmed and ensure that you focus on the most critical tasks.
> 6. Consider using future time blocking, a powerful tool for managing novel or uncertain work. Block out time in advance on your calendar for big projects that are still far in the future, helping to manage incoming work effectively.
> 7. Having an automatic no list is crucial, especially for individuals in the public eye. It involves automatically saying no to certain things without hesitation. Practicing a hard no is equally important. When saying no, it's essential to be firm and not provide wiggle room or make excuses. Giving people a clear and definitive no allows them to move on without expecting a different answer.
> 8. Defaulting to deferred yeses means postponing immediate decisions and commitments by expressing interest and deferring the response. By doing so, it avoids saying no in the moment and signals conscientious scheduling, responsibility, and reliability. This approach buys time and creates breathing room for making informed decisions.
> 9. Work positions should be considered in terms of the controllability of workload, in addition to other factors like the content of the work. In the American context, the content of the work is often the dominant way work is judged.
> 10. Having an automatic no-list also involves not replying automatically to certain communications, even when they bypass filters.
> 11. Complex systems for storing and connecting information don't offer much payoff in creative production. For those who think for a living, important ideas emerge in the brain and require old-fashioned intellectual work. A system cannot do the thinking or make it simpler. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/bc3d9a11-75d0-42c5-8040-a02d49fec635))
> Misconception about managing workload and overload
> Summary:
> The common misconception about workload management is to keep the workload just below the maximum obligations to avoid feeling overloaded. However, this approach is flawed because the obligations are like a giant super tanker on the ocean, making it difficult to make sudden adjustments. The obligation count doesn't allow for quick stops or turns, meaning that adjustments take a long time and distance, similar to a large ship sliding before changing direction or stopping.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> We have a broken mental model for how overload actually operates. Most people think, here's what you do. You select a workload and you want it to be close to but below the maxed obligations. So maybe I'm putting a red line here across. You say, yeah, I'll just make my workload here. Keep it steady over time right below that max obligations dotted line threshold. So I'll be getting a lot done without feeling overloaded. The reason why this doesn't work is that in reality, your obligation count is like a giant super tanker on the ocean. When you get it moving in a given direction, you can't just stop it on time. You can't just stop where you are and make a quick turn. If you want to start turning, you're going to slide for a long time in one direction until you can finally turn the directions. If you want to stop because you don't want to hit an iceberg in front of you, it could take you, and I've seen these numbers before, miles before that big mass comes to a complete stop. ([Time 0:07:39](https://share.snipd.com/snip/bf6a83ef-7a23-4660-ba7f-bd09b9779446))
> Immediate Stress Relief through Task Reduction
> Summary:
> When feeling overwhelmed, the first step is to immediately reduce the tasks on your plate to alleviate stress. This doesn't have to be directly related to the specific situation causing the stress, but rather any task that can be removed to provide immediate relief.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Step number one, reduce what you can right away. You have that moment of, oh my God, I have too much on my plate. I'm stressed out. Typically, this comes after you're confronting some reality of your calendar. You're like, my God, how am I going to get this all done? I feel so busy to get some relief right away. What can I take off my plate? It doesn't have to be related to the final thing that pushed you over the edge. ([Time 0:10:53](https://share.snipd.com/snip/5f8b813d-c4e7-48ed-98bd-6a5946816930))
> Systematizing Workload for Improved Execution
> Summary:
> Systematize the workload by creating a plan for how the work will get done. Although this doesn't reduce the amount of work or the total hours spent, it significantly improves the psychological experience of facing and executing the work.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Step number two, systematize the workload that remains. So okay, here's what I have to do after I've simplified what I can. I now need a plan for how this work is going to get done. Doing a plan for how the work is going to get done does not reduce the amount of work you have to do. It does not even reduce the total number of hours when you add it up. You spend on the work, but it can make the psychological experience of facing and executing this work much improved. ([Time 0:12:58](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9d21a044-be66-4be4-8792-66d620ca6e4b))
> Planning to Prevent Future Overload
> Summary:
> It is important to plan to prevent similar overload in the future, as it can work really well and is often missed by people.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> And then step three, and this is one that is often missed and it surprises some people, but it works really well. Plan to prevent similar overload in the future. ([Time 0:16:33](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d2228cf4-7db0-4c29-aada-06b4ef9e2305))
> Set quotas on work you can’t say no to
> Summary:
> Setting quotas for work that is part of your role but has an unlimited supply helps in managing the workload efficiently. By deciding in advance what your limit is, you can avoid being overwhelmed and ensure that you focus on the most critical tasks.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> One quote us, certain type of work that you need to do as part of your position, but that you have an unlimited supply of this work coming in. So at some point you're going to have to say no, you decide in advance what your limit is. ([Time 0:18:55](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a8abc359-e3bc-4f21-8538-c7ede5e692ba))
> Using future time blocking for big projects
> Summary:
> Consider using future time blocking, a powerful tool for managing novel or uncertain work. Block out time in advance on your calendar for big projects that are still far in the future, helping to manage incoming work effectively.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Something you can consider doing, especially when you feel like there's a lot of incoming that's novel. This is not work I normally do. I don't have a great instinct for how much time it's going to take, but I feel pressured to say yes is future time blocking. This is something I talk about a little bit, I believe in the introduction to my time block planner or I talk about the discipline, but it's a very powerful tool. Or what you do is for when new things are coming in, you say I'm going to go and block in advance on my calendar. So it's like I'm time blocking days that are still way in the future when this work is going to get done. ([Time 0:20:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b83dd565-4bc5-488f-9686-198649d2b519))
> Automatoc no list, and practise your hard no
> Summary:
> Having an automatic no list is crucial, especially for individuals in the public eye. It involves automatically saying no to certain things without hesitation. Practicing a hard no is equally important. When saying no, it's essential to be firm and not provide wiggle room or make excuses. Giving people a clear and definitive no allows them to move on without expecting a different answer.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> You can also have automatic no list. Definitely people in the public eye like myself have this. These are things I just automatically say no to. I don't even have to think about it. You can also practice hard nose. If you are going to say no, just say no. You can be apologetic, but don't give wiggle room. Don't say I don't think I can do this. But I mean, you know, I mean, a less like we could find a way to work it around or maybe there's somewhere else. Some other way it can be helpful in organizing this. Then people just go right back around and throw a bunch of work on your plate anyways. If you're going to say no, give people the courtesy of a hard no so they know to move on. ([Time 0:22:34](https://share.snipd.com/snip/2b8457d7-f057-4170-b211-ac76f0794e1f))
> Defaulting to deferred yeses
> Summary:
> Defaulting to deferred yeses means postponing immediate decisions and commitments by expressing interest and deferring the response. By doing so, it avoids saying no in the moment and signals conscientious scheduling, responsibility, and reliability. This approach buys time and creates breathing room for making informed decisions.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> Consider having a default of deferred yeses. So even if you think you are going to say yes to something or you're not sure, but you have to get back to someone, say, look, that sounds interesting. Let me get back to you on Monday. That's when I go over my schedule and plan. I'll see what's going on. I'll get back to you. That's an easy response to have. You should not say no to someone in the moment. It also shows and signals to the other person that you are a conscientious scheduler. You know what's going on with your time that you're responsible and reliable. So you've planted that seed and you've bought yourself some breathing room. ([Time 0:23:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/69c1b7f8-c38f-432a-bcae-fc122533b35c))
> Consider workload predictability when choosing work
> Summary:
> Work positions should be considered in terms of the controllability of workload, in addition to other factors like the content of the work. In the American context, the content of the work is often the dominant way work is judged.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> We don't enough think about work positions in terms of the controllability of workload. There's a lot of things we use to measure the desirability of work positions. The two most obvious ones being content of the work. This is probably in the American context, the most dominant way we judge work. ([Time 0:25:47](https://share.snipd.com/snip/122f271b-fe3e-443c-9567-62c76286d8b7))
> Automatic nos also come with an automatic no reply
> Summary:
> Having an automatic no-list also involves not replying automatically to certain communications, even when they bypass filters.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> The notion of an automatic no-list includes an automatic no-reply. At some point, there's a lot of communication that comes to you that gets around the filters. Really the best thing to do is not to reply. ([Time 0:31:41](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a8859b19-0e4b-4629-9406-5eb3ee414c4d))
> What Cal thinks of Second Brain systems
> Summary:
> Complex systems for storing and connecting information don't offer much payoff in creative production. For those who think for a living, important ideas emerge in the brain and require old-fashioned intellectual work. A system cannot do the thinking or make it simpler.
> Transcript:
> Speaker 1
> I could have a system that had all of this that tagged it and cross connected it where I could do searches or explore connections. But in my experience, that extra element of complexity in the storage and connection of information doesn't pay off much. And in the end, if you work in the creative production, thinking is thinking. The idea that a system is going to do thinking for you or make that thinking more simple. It's not usually how it works. Typically for those of us who think for a living, the ideas that are important emerge in our brain sort of festered and begin working on it. And then you want to be able to look up, you know, oh, yeah, I read this article. It could be useful here, but it's just old fashioned grinding intellectual work of the type we talked about in last week's episode, right? Talked about what goes into being a serious thinker. It's just your brain doing stuff. ([Time 0:40:11](https://share.snipd.com/snip/81f4d398-d7ea-4b97-8ab4-8c7093ec7daa))