Sensory Overload at Work Checklist

Work overload is often a mix of sensory input, constant switching, and social evaluation pressure. This checklist helps you reduce load in small, realistic steps.

Use it like a menu:
🧩 pick 3 items first
🧊 use the low-capacity version on rough days
🔁 review weekly and keep what actually works

---

The checklist

🎧 Reduce sensory input early

💡 Swap overhead light for a desk lamp if possible
🪟 Sit away from glare, flicker, or moving light from windows
🖥️ Lower brightness and increase text size to reduce visual strain
🔇 Use earplugs or noise-cancelling before you feel overloaded
🧩 Choose a quieter seat or room for deep work whenever you can

🧠 Reduce uncertainty and mental load

📝 Ask for written priorities instead of verbal “drive-bys”
📌 Clarify what “done” means so you don’t overwork the task
⏳ Confirm deadlines with a specific time, not “end of day”
🗂️ Keep one trusted task list, not multiple competing systems
🧭 When fog hits, choose one next micro-step only

🔁 Reduce switching and interruptions

📦 Batch similar tasks (email, admin, deep work, meetings)
🚫 Protect 60–90 minute focus blocks on your calendar
💬 Ask people to message first instead of interrupting live
🔔 Use a visible focus signal (status, headphones, sign)
🧱 Keep a “distraction capture” note for impulses and quick asks

🌿 Regulate in the moment

🌬️ Do 60 seconds of slower exhales when your system spikes
🚶 Add a short walk or hallway loop if you feel trapped or frozen
🥤 Sip water to cue safety and reduce throat tightness
🔥 Add warmth if cold makes you shut down faster (tea, sweater)
🧘 Take 30–90 second micro-breaks between meetings and tasks

🛋️ Recovery and aftercare

🚪 Identify a “reset spot” you can use for 2–10 minutes
🧸 Keep a small sensory kit (earplugs, grounding object, snack)
🌙 Plan a low-input buffer after high-meeting days
📵 Avoid stacking intense social plans after a high-input workday
🔁 Review patterns weekly and adjust one thing at a time

---

🧊 Low-capacity workday version

If today is a “bare minimum” day, do only this:

🎧 reduce sound or light
📝 write the next step in one line
🚪 take one short reset break
🥤 drink water and eat something small
🌙 protect your evening recovery time

---

Quick scripts you can reuse

🗣️ “I work best with written priorities. Can we confirm the top three for today?”
📩 “Can you put the action items in writing? That helps me deliver accurately.”
🚪 “I’m hitting overload. I’m stepping away for five minutes so I don’t crash.”
⏳ “I’ll respond in 20 minutes after a quick reset.”

---

Reflection questions

🧠 What is my top work trigger right now: sound, light, interruptions, ambiguity, evaluation
🧩 Which 3 checklist items would reduce load by 20 percent this week
🔁 What pattern repeats: meetings stacked, constant pings, unclear priorities
🛋️ What aftercare prevents the next-day crash

---

Next step

If work overload happens often, your biggest protection is a simple personal protocol:

🧊 early warning signs
🌿 rapid reset steps
📩 one accommodation request you can reuse