The Invisible Workload, Part 1
That 11pm feeling: your body is exhausted but your brain won’t quit, rehearsing tomorrow’s tasks. This is the invisible workload—the admin, birthdays, and mental clutter that high-achievers delegate last. It drains focus, fuels anxiety, and tricks you into feeling you’re failing at adulthood. Discover why your brain isn't built for detail-tracking and the true cost of managing it all yourself.
TIME MANAGEMENTPRODUCTIVITYAI / APPLICATIONS
9/8/20252 min read
The Mental Load No One Talks About
It's 11 PM. You're lying in bed mentally rehearsing tomorrow's tasks:
reply to your sister’s email,
reschedule the dentist,
chase those overdue invoices,
remember your nephew's birthday.
….
Your body's exhausted but your brain won't switch off.
This is the invisible workload that no productivity app can solve.
As someone who specialises in ADHD-friendly business support, I see this pattern constantly.
High-achieving entrepreneurs who can strategise complex deals but feel defeated by their inbox.
The Delegation Double Standard
Outsourcing life's physical tasks makes sense and save us loads of time:
- Ordering a takeaway
- Paying a cleaner
- Booking a dog walker / pet sitter
- Getting groceries delivered
- Hiring a gardener / handyman
- Using an accountant for taxes
- Sending laundry to be washed/ironed
So why do you falter when hiring someone to handle your mental clutter?
Your contact list - A third of which includes people you don’t know.
The email inbox - In the 1000s and full of unread subscriptions you haven’t the time to clear
Your laptop’s 1200 photos - In no particular order and impossible to find the one you want
Multiple Calendars - Managing your work and the family members’ social calendars creates a messy diary
Everyone’s birthdays - Send the cards in time, buy the presents, deliver them in time
For professionals with pressurised work AND busy lives, this is the invisible workload that
- drains your focus,
- fuels your anxiety and
- makes you question whether you're failing at the basics, ie adulthood!
What I have learned is that
Your brain is built for big-picture thinking, not detail tracking.
Delegating your mental load is a strategic move.
What This Actually Costs You
That "quick admin" you avoid isn't free. It costs you:
The Real Numbers:
- Freelance designer (£60/hour): 10 hours monthly = £600 lost income
- Business coach (£100+/hour): 10 hours monthly = £1000+ lost income
- Trades professional (£75/hour): 10 hours monthly = £750 lost income
Plus the hidden costs:
- Cognitive Energy: Mental clutter drains focus from your best work
- Emotional Labour: The guilt of "I should be better at this"
As one of my clients put it:
"When you work as a sole trader it's too easy to get caught up with 'stuff'"
- Brenda Kilgallon, Kilgallon Coaching
That's exactly the invisible workload I'm talking about.
Your Mental Load Audit
Which of these keeps you up at night?
Email anxiety (unread count climbing daily)
Calendar chaos (double-bookings and forgotten meetings)
Chasing up on unpaid invoices
Administrative tasks that never get done (and lets not mention the filing!!)
Remembering the kids' birthday parties, presents and purchase of gifts
You do not need to carry any of it alone - I can help and support you.
Book a free, no-obligation call with me today.
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Next Post: I'll explain why every productivity app you've tried has let you down - and what actually works for ADHD brains.
Read part 2 of 4 in "The Invisible Workload" series
