I had to tell my boss that I could not juggle both projects that I've been asked to run. Each one is a 60 hr/wk commitment on its own. I am a human, not a machine. He has not yet found a replacement for me so I fear both may yet end up on my plate and unfortunately the quality of the service I provide will suffer, which means the client pays the price.
@Foxthorn any way you can solicit some temp help? Even 60 hrs a week is inhumane on an extended basis. Can any part be contracted out? (no idea what you do)
@kerrywth I am an engineer. Unfortunately, I am the contract labor :) My employer needs to hire and they've been trying but the bodies just aren't there or they are there but they're not at the level they need to be at to lead or at least work independently on this kind of project. Our middle tier is basically missing. Many of them went elsewhere during the pandemic and those who remained had to graduate to the senior tier to replace those who retired. It's an industry-wide struggle.
@Foxthorn that's a tough place to be. You did right to bring this up, it's part of any job to disclose a forecasted point of failure far enough in advance for the employer to overcome it or make some adjustments.
(Sounds like you almost broke yourself so maybe waited a bit too long)