If you’re adding to your to-do list faster than you’re crossing tasks off, you can quickly begin to feel overwhelmed. In recent article in Fast Company, Art Markman offered some pro tips for what to do when that feeling arises.

Don’t look down

One of the hardest parts of having a long to-do list is that it can be hard to get anything done. Of course, you can’t get through your list if you don’t do anything. So, the most important thing is to make progress on something that needs to get completed.

Calibrate your effort

If your to-do list is constantly getting longer, it’s possible that you’re not being efficient enough to keep up with your tasks. You may want to think about your effort level if you’re feeling way behind on what needs to be accomplished. It’s possible there are things you have been asked to do that could have been done more quickly and with less polish and still have been acceptable. You should also get feedback from your supervisor to find out whether there are areas in which you have produced something where it might be fine to spend a little less time in service of finishing more of what’s on your agenda.

Organize your list

Organize your to-do list both by your estimate of the amount of time that it will take to complete a task, as well as whether the work itself requires your best self or not. That way, you can quickly find tasks to perform that fit the time block you have, as well as your mental energy.

Hand things off

If you’re falling deeply behind, then it is time to find other ways to shorten your list. Are there some tasks that you can hand off to colleagues? One thing that happens as you move into positions with more responsibility is that you often keep doing things that were part of your responsibility in the previous role. It might just be out of force of habit, or it might be that you feel you can do it better than other people.

Ask for help

Finally, if you find that you’re still given more than you can handle, it’s time to talk with your supervisor about your workload. When people give you things to do, they may not be aware of everything else on your list. In that case, you may need to let them know that you’re overwhelmed and get their help to solve the problem.