There’s one thing all jugglers know; if you juggle enough balls for long enough, you will eventually drop one. Or possibly two. And then you have to stop, pick everything up, and start all over again.
[I’m not actually from a circus family, but I asked a juggler at Covent Garden once what all jugglers know, and that’s what he told me. He had loads of money in his hat, so I think he knew his stuff.]
In family terms, this juggling and dropping applies just as much. It’s become the accepted norm now to be ‘BUSY.’ Juggling this, juggling that, multitasking, doing 50,000 things at once, out-busying each other. It’s almost a failure not to be failing at all the busying we’re doing just in order to stand still.
The number of balls I have in the air at any one time is ludicrous sometimes – lists of work deadlines, three children, a million house jobs, hundreds of un-answered emails, half-written books, unwashed school uniform, urgent forms to fill in, bills to pay……AAARHGH! And that’s just Monday morning.
The balls gradually start to be dropped one by one until I’m left at the end of the week sitting in a heap on the floor surrounded by all the things I’ve failed at. And usually in tears.
And to squeeze the juggling analogy right to its last breath… this means I don’t get any money in my hat – and I might as well leave.
If you feel in this situation, trying to keep hold of far, far too many things and not managing it all, it’s likely to result in stress, anxiety and you generally not being the awesome you that you are.
The only way to get back in control of things is to put some of the balls down. Leave the non-urgent things, delegate jobs to other people, prioritise or just decide you can’t do it. That’s OK.
Stop trying to do more than you physically or mentally can, and just deal with what’s possible for YOU, at this time. That might increase or decrease at various times. Sometimes you might be feeling more tired, ill, low or are dealing with personal things or excessive workloads – that’s fine. Do what you can under THOSE circumstances.
Then on another day you’ll be feeling great with loads of energy and positivity and it all seems easy again. Time to pick up a few of the balls you put down, and deal with those again.
You don’t win a prize for trying to manage everything, and failing at half of it. Much better to play the long game, do what you can when you can, and get to the end with all your balls in tact – and catch them all eventually. Ta-DA! A penny in your hat, ma’am.
Ever Feel Like a Circus Act?
When juggling career, kids & more, it’s inevitable that you'll drop a ball. Liz Fraser talks about making things simpler, before it gets too much.
