How to Ask Your Manager to Prioritize Your Work

You have two deadlines on Friday, but there is only enough time to finish one task properly. Your manager needs to know what the conflict is before they can help. A general message saying you’re overwhelmed may be true, but it doesn’t identify the decision.

List the work, estimate what remains, and say which commitment would move if a new task comes first.

Put the competing tasks in the email

Subject: Priority decision for Friday’s deliverables

Hi Priya,

I have about six hours of work left on the customer report and four hours on the workshop materials. With tomorrow’s support coverage, I can complete one by Friday.

My recommendation is to finish the customer report first because the review is Monday. Could we move the workshop materials to Tuesday, or would you prefer a different order?

Thanks, Alex

The estimates help the manager evaluate the tradeoff. They don’t need to be precise to the minute, but they should reflect the actual work. If you are unsure, explain the uncertainty instead of presenting a guess as a promise.

When another task arrives

Subject: Timing for the new account summary

Hi Jo,

I can take on the account summary. To finish it by tomorrow, I would need to pause the onboarding review and resume that on Monday.

Does that match your priorities? If the onboarding review needs to stay on schedule, I can start the summary Monday afternoon.

Thanks, Lee

This gives the manager a choice before either deadline is missed. If several managers assign work to you, ask them to agree on the priority rather than accepting incompatible instructions separately.

Confirm what was decided

After a call, write a short confirmation: “I’ll finish the account summary tomorrow and move the onboarding review to Monday, as agreed.” Update the project board too, especially if other people depend on the dates.

If the problem is recurring, collect examples of the workload over time and discuss capacity in a one-to-one. Moving one deadline may solve this week without solving the underlying issue.

For a single task that needs more time, use a deadline extension email. If you need help completing the work, the request for help guide explains how to make that request specific.