When Everything's Due at Once
READ TIME - 4 MINUTES
"How’s your week looking?" asked Tahlia, glancing at her overflowing inbox.
Eddie let out a breath. "Let’s see… I’ve got three presentations, two reports, a workshop on Thursday, and of course, that new feature launch. Oh, and I promised Joe we’d finish the training before Friday."
Tahlia grinned. "Classic end of financial year - everything, everywhere, all at once."
Eddie nodded. "Honestly, I’m just hoping nothing serious slips through the cracks."
Why EOFY Overload Hits Change Hard
End of financial year in Australia is notorious for last-minute deadlines, budget wrangling, and a relentless parade of urgent deliverables.
For us change folks, it’s a perfect storm: business-as-usual ramps up, but transformation work can’t afford to stall.
When everyone’s stretched thin, change activities often risk being deprioritised, rushed, or quietly dropped. But with the right strategies, you can keep momentum (and your sanity!) intact.
Here’s some of our favourite tactics in moments like these:
The “Prioritise with Purpose” Approach
What it is:
A focused, collaborative method to clarify what truly matters for change success during peak periods.
Why it’s important:
Not all deliverables are created equal.
By working with leaders and teams to identify critical change activities, you help protect what matters most from being lost in the EOFY rush. (Also saves us from extreme overwhelm!)
How to do it:
Map competing deadlines: Bring visibility to all EOFY deliverables and change tasks. Include it all, nothing is too small.
Identify non-negotiables: Ask, “What’s essential for us to maintain progress?” versus “What could wait a week?”
Agree on priorities: Collaborate with sponsors and managers to lock in the critical few, then communicate these priorities clearly to your teams.
Pro tip: Use a simple visual, like a one-page timeline or Kanban board, to keep everyone focused on the essentials.
Stay grounded in what’s truly in your control, not just what’s urgent.
The “Chunk It Down” Strategy
What it is:
Breaking big change activities into practical, manageable, bite-sized actions that fit into busy schedules.
Why it’s important:
During high-pressure periods, even small wins count.
Chunking tasks helps teams make progress without feeling overwhelmed.
How to do it:
Break deliverables into micro-tasks: Instead of “complete training rollout,” try “send training invites,” “record a 2-min explainer,” or “check in with key users.”
Schedule mini check-ins: Replace long workshops with short, focused stand-ups or quick calls.
Celebrate micro-progress: Acknowledge every small milestone - momentum matters when time is tight.
Pro tip: Encourage teams to “save for later” anything non-essential. Our take is that doing a few things well (with presence and intention) ALWAYS achieves more than scattering attention across too many to-dos.
The “Protect Your People” Principle
What it is:
A conscious commitment to wellbeing and resilience, even when the pressure’s on.
Why it’s important:
Sustained change depends on people, not just plans.
EOFY stress can lead to burnout, disengagement, and mistakes if left unchecked. And research from Gartner shows that when rest is accessible and effective, people’s productivity at work actually increases by 26%!
How to do it:
Check in, don’t check up: Ask your team how they’re coping - not just what’s on their to-do list.
Offer flexibility: Where possible, adjust timelines, redistribute tasks, let folks work where and when it suits them and/or give permission to defer non-critical work.
Model healthy habits: Take breaks, encourage downtime, and remind teams that “80% done” is better than “100% perfect” at EOFY.
Pro tip: Encourage people to have “walk and talk” meetings or at least remind them to step outside for some winter sun.
Energy is the currency of change. Protect it wisely.
The Bottom Line
EOFY doesn’t have to mean dropping the ball on change.
With clear priorities, bite-sized actions, and a focus on your people, you can keep transformation moving - even when everything’s due at once.
That’s it for this week.
Next Tuesday, we’re talking about how to keep morale up when everyone’s running on empty (EOFY fatigue is real!). Don’t miss it!
See you then,
Team EVER
PS: Someone pass this on to you?
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