What do you do if your workload as an application developer is overwhelming your ability to learn new skills?

- Prioritize your task and complete the work as early as possible - Use proper tools to reduce your overheads - Talk to the manager to reprioritize the work

Prioritize tasks to manage overwhelming workloads. Focus on high-impact tasks first, those that align with immediate goals or deadlines. Consider urgency, importance, and dependencies. Delegate where possible. Break large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Allocate specific time slots for learning new skills and stick to them. Communicate with supervisors about workload constraints. Remember, learning is integral to growth, so finding balance is key.

Saber priorizar tarefas é um dos principais pontos quando se estar com sobrecarga de tarefas, além de gerenciar o tempo sobre elas.

When my workload as an application developer overwhelms my learning, I prioritize tasks, allocate specific learning time daily, break down tasks, delegate when possible, communicate with my manager, practice self-care, seek continuous improvement, and rely on support from colleagues and mentors.

Achievable learning goals to navigate overwhelming workloads effectively. Identify specific skills that will enhance your current role and future career opportunities. Establish short-term objectives, like completing a tutorial each week, and long-term milestones, such as mastering a new programming language in six months. Schedule regular, dedicated time for learning, treating it as a critical task. Use SMART criteria Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound to frame these goals. Regularly review and adjust your goals based on your workload and progress, ensuring they remain realistic and aligned with your professional development.

It can be overwhelming when multiple task need to be completed. Simplest way to fix 1 task at a time and pick smallest task first to complete and checklist from you goals. Because large task take time and few task that you can do easily will be pending. Remember, investing in your growth as a developer not only benefits you but also adds value to your organization and Salary increments.

Leverage downtime effectively to manage a heavy workload while continuing to learn new skills. Identify moments in your day when you are less occupied, like waiting for meetings to start or during lunch breaks. Use these intervals for micro learning watching tutorial videos, reading articles, or practicing coding through mobile apps. Optimize your commute by listening to podcasts or audiobooks related to your field. Even short, focused periods of learning can significantly enhance your skillset over time. This approach allows you to integrate continuous learning into your routine without overwhelming your schedule.

You just have to set your mind to the fact that learning is something you do for yourself. And, you should consider learning to be a separate activity from your work routine. If you work an 8-10 hour day, you can still easily spend 2-4 hours learning. Make it pay, too, if possible by leveraging your new skills on a sellable product or service.

Identify tasks within your projects that can be handled by others, especially those that are routine or less critical. Trust your team by assigning tasks based on their strengths and areas of expertise. This not only lightens your load but also helps in building team capacity and morale. Provide clear instructions and expectations to avoid confusion and ensure quality. Regularly follow up on progress without micromanaging. Delegating effectively frees up valuable time, allowing you to focus on personal development and more complex challenges.

Embrace automation to manage overwhelming workloads and free up time for learning new skills. Automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks within your development processes, such as testing, deployments, and environment setups using tools like Jenkins, Ansible, or Docker. This not only increases efficiency but also reduces errors, providing more reliability in your work. Learning to automate effectively can itself be a valuable skill enhancement. By integrating automation into your workflow, you can focus more on complex, creative tasks and continuous learning, ultimately improving both productivity and job satisfaction as an application developer.

Update your resume. When a company doesn’t manage workloads, they might not value you ( don’t listen to lip services, actions count)