What should you do if you feel assisting a colleague will affect your own deadlines?

When facing a situation where assisting a colleague might impact your own deadlines, prioritizing your duties and requesting additional time is the most effective approach. This allows you to communicate your current workload while also demonstrating a willingness to assist your colleague. By discussing your deadlines, you clarify your own responsibilities and ensure they are respected, while still showing the potential to help them when your schedule permits.

This approach emphasizes time management and accountability, balancing both your own needs and the desire to support your teammate. It fosters a collaborative work environment where communication is encouraged, helping to prevent any misunderstanding about workload expectations. Additionally, asking for time or clarification on the tasks at hand can lead to better planning, making it more feasible to assist colleagues without jeopardizing your own assignments.