I came into work today and was approached by my partner in the marketing department. He noticed that things over the past couple weeks have been a little hectic and jumbled. We had been getting a number of projects assigned during the week and then the next week we need to drop those projects and start some new ones… leaving the current projects on the back burner. My marketing guy was a little distraught by this. He was worried that with all the back-and-forth with the projects, and with so many things on our plate, that he would get burned out and just continue to be frustrated when the jobs get piled up.

In the almost 10 years that I have been in the business, multi-tasking has become common place and something you run into frequently. I explained to Mr. Marketer that him and I were a team and needed to stick together when it comes to multiple projects. Daily contact and updates are extremely necessary to be able to keep track on the jobs and also to be able to clear your head when the frustration sets in. In this field you need to be able to talk to your co-workers and team mates in order to stay on task and stay level. Since ive been multi-tasking for so long, the process seems second nature. You really need to be organized and on point, because when the projects get thick, they can sometimes fall through the cracks. If you keep each other in touch and on task, the jobs will go much smoother and you’ll find that you are able to accomplish more.

On the same note, you cannot be afraid to let your employer know that you are overworked. Realize that you will be responsible for numerous jobs in any given time and multi-tasking is a MUST, but when you feel that burn coming, speak up and make it known. You may ask, “How do I know when im burned out?” The simplest thing to say is… You’ll just know. It’s different for everyone and its something that every designer will face. Its how you handle those situations that will determine if you make it through the burn or if you’ll have to move on.

Understand that unless you are on your own, its a team effort. Whether its with a co-worker or a boss, you gotta work together.