Ask HN: How to stop taking on too many projects getting burned out?

Even though I know I have a tendency to take on too much, I still find myself in this situation repeatedly. I think back to 6 months ago when I was agreeing to do some of these projects and I remember my thought process: 'I better be careful not to take on too much. I better make estimates extremely conservative.'

Nevertheless I find myself having far too much to do and not enough time to do it in.

What techniques do you have for not taking on too much? How do I get to the magical state of being able to underpromise and overdeliver?

If it’s you, then it’s about clarity. If it’s them, then it’s also about clarity.

You need to make your workload clearer to yourself. How can you even know if you have capacity to take on a new project?

You could simply list your projects and commitments / deadlines. Sometimes the list is enough.

You could block out your time, which is your actual resource.

If that’s failing, you could try better estimation, but it’s extremely difficult.

I would argue for simply having a maximum number of spinning plates. Like, two.

Another thing, which I'm still learning to do, is saying "No" to new projects until you finish at least one of the WIPs.

Pick the things you want to work on, not the things people want you to work on.

Much like losing weight is simply about being in a caloric deficit - it is truly that simple. It isn't easy mentally but it is that simple.