A lot on my plate

Having a lot on your plate means having a lot of responsibilities all at once. When we have so much to do, we often feel overwhelmed, and because of this, we usually use this idiom to explain why we have been so busy or stressed or unhappy or why we haven't called or kept in touch with someone. 


This expression has a couple of variations. We can say "have so much on my plate", or "have enough on my plate". We usually use enough when we want to say that we don't want anymore of something.


like this:  
1. Sorry, I haven't been able to help you out lately; I've had so much on my plate these days.

2. Be a little patient with him; he has a lot on his plate right now. That's why he's so grumpy.

3. I don't want anymore responsibilities; I have enough on my plate.

4. Our manager just assigned a major project to us as if we don't have enough on our plate already. (said sarcastically)

5. You always put too much on your plate and then you complain that you're always stressed out.

So, can you take more on your plate right now or do you have so much to do already? Let us know.


Good luck!
Joe Yu
thesmallguidesite.com