Feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone. Alyson explores why.
Many digital teams we work with find themselves stuck in reactive mode—juggling constant requests, high expectations and limited capacity. If that sounds familiar, it’s not just you.
Do any of these ring true?
- Most of our work comes from other departments
- We’re always busy, but never caught up
- Everything feels urgent—and equally important
- It’s hard to make the case for more resources
- We’re ambitious, but we feel stuck
These aren’t just frustrations. They’re signals pointing to deeper issues we’ve seen time and again in digital teams across the UK and US.
What’s really going on?
It could be any or all of these
Activity is mistaken for impact
If you’re measured by how much you do, the answer is always to do more. But impact often comes from doing less—just better, or differently.
It’s hard to show what’s working – and what isnt
You might know what’s effective, but without evidence, it’s tough to get others on board or change direction.
Your workload is invisible
You’re juggling multiple audiences, channels, platforms, venues… and few people can see the full picture and, therefore, the scale of work. That makes it hard to say no—or to ask for help.
There are gaps in digital understanding
People often come to the Digital team with a solution already in mind, rather than a clear sense of what they want to achieve. But gaps in understanding of digital affordances can mean that their chosen solution may not meet their goals. The result? Confusion, delays and frustration.
Too many priorities, not enough focus
When every department has its own goals—and every goal involves a digital output—you quickly end up with a long list of ‘must-dos’ and no room to breathe.
How to start shifting the balance by mapping your content eco-system
You don’t need a total overhaul to start seeing improvement. Here is one simple high impact activity to get you started.
Make the work visible
Try a visual mapping exercise. One we love (adapted from Brain Traffic) maps audiences, channels, services and tools, and how they connect. You can do this alone but doing it with stakeholders creates a shared view—and usually a moment of real clarity.
Example
One client discovered they were trying to serve 21 audiences across 26 venues and services. They had six web and social channels — and were using each to reach all audiences and promote all services. Seeing this laid out was a powerful moment.
Want to try mapping your content?
If you’re still feeling stretched, stuck or need a critical friend in the process —we can help. You don’t need all the answers to start the conversation. We’re here to help you get clarity, build a plan, and start making space for the work that really matters.