One of the biggest challenges in today's work environment is juggling conflicting expectations from multiple supervisors, but there are things you can do to help you maintain focus and productivity. I suggest employing techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, tai chi, a healthy lifestyle, and gratitude journaling. These not only help to provide stress relief, they also help to reduce anxiety, reduce burnout, and are great for overall self-care.

Start by clarifying each supervisor's expectations, and prioritize tasks based on urgency and impact. Use mindfulness to stay present, focusing on one task at a time instead of worrying about the full list. Practice setting boundaries by communicating realistic timelines, which can help manage expectations. When stress builds, take a brief pause to breathe and recenter. Staying calm and structured in your approach enables you to handle each demand efficiently, ensuring that you remain focused and productive despite the pressures.

I feel as if we all have been through something like this. Here are some phrases to use: For clarification: " I see A & B are important right now, what needs to be my first priority?" For boundaries: "I am able to do A assignment during this time to my best ability. I will follow up when I am able to complete B".

When I was a chiropractic resident at Logan University, I had 3 supervisors, the program director (my ultimate supervisor), the clinic director of the outpatient clinic, and my program supervisor. I was assigned tasks by all of the supervisors, but everything centered around the program director since he over the residency program. Since the program director was the main one, I had to answer to, whatever duties he assigned to me was paramount, the duties assigned by the others, I had to only accept duties that would not interfere with my own. My duty differed by the day and time of day. So, I had to devise a day planner and set the time that i was to perform each duty. That everything went according to schedule, and nothing went wrong.

For me, the most important things are: 1. Clarify and prioritize expectations (request clear instructions and determine priorities). 2. Communicate transparently with each supervisor (summarize your current commitments and be proactive about potential conflicts). 3. Suggest collaborating on priorities (encourage a collective discussion). 4. Establish boundaries and manage expectations. 5. Develop a prioritization system. 6. Practice time blocking for focused work (allocate specific time blocks for each supervisor’s work). 7. Seek feedback regularly (check in on priorities and make adjustments). 8. Build communication skills (use assertive language and reframe positively). 9. Stay organized and document decisions (keep written records).