Your task list shows one major project, but the day also contains routine checks, recurring messages and a weekly report. If those duties are invisible in the plan, a new request can look easier to accommodate than it really is.
Record the work in ordinary terms
For one representative week, note the recurring activities you actually perform. Use names a colleague can understand, such as checking the shared mailbox or preparing the Monday figures. Separate a scheduled duty from an interruption that happened only once.
An estimate is enough to begin, provided you label it as an estimate. Avoid presenting a rough recollection as measured time. The purpose is a clearer conversation about capacity, not a minute-by-minute account of your worth.
Identify what can and cannot move
Some recurring tasks have a fixed deadline; others can be grouped, delayed, or shared with agreement. Write down the consequence of moving each item rather than deciding that all routine work is equally urgent.
Our discussion of making a trade-off visible helps with the next conversation. Bring the recurring work into that discussion so the choice concerns the whole workload, not just the most noticeable project.
Ask for one practical adjustment
A useful proposal might combine two checks, change a reporting frequency, or arrange cover during a deadline week. Explain what would change and who needs to agree. Do not silently stop a duty that another person relies on.
Review the arrangement after a short, agreed period. If the change freed time but created delays elsewhere, record that too. Making recurring work visible is useful when it improves coordination, not when it merely produces another list nobody consults.