biting off more than one can chew
Taking on excess
Biting off more than one can chew means attempting something beyond one's capacity to handle.
The image is of taking such a large mouthful that you can't work your jaw.
The phrase usually carries a note of warning or rueful hindsight: I thought I could renovate the house myself, but I bit off more than I could chew.
- overworkToil to exhaustion
- burnoutChronic occupational depletion
- running on emptyOperating without remaining resources
- crashing and burningFailing dramatically and publicly
- overextensionExceeding sustainable capacity
anxiety · time management · failure · disappointment · guilt · overwhelm · overpromising · overestimating · frustration · multitasking · regret · prioritization · self-doubt · delegation · burning the candle at both ends · stress · inefficiency · putting the cart before the horse
biting off more than one can chewstaying in one's lane
Limiting oneself appropriately
self-awareness · playing it safe · managing expectations · undercommitting · sandbagging
biting off more than one can chewplaying it safe
Avoiding unnecessary risk
erring on the side of caution · underreaching · settling for less · hedging one's bets · leaving money on the table