Juggling
We are all juggling something.
Work. Family. Children. Ageing parents. Study. Relationships. Finances. Health. Housework. Deadlines. And sometimes, all of them seem to demand our attention at exactly the same time.
We often see discussions on LinkedIn about women juggling careers and families, trying to fit everything in and sometimes feeling guilty when they can't.
But perhaps we need to stop measuring ourselves against how much somebody else appears to be managing.
Some people thrive on having a lot going on. Others find competing demands overwhelming. And even those of us who are usually very organised and capable of fitting a lot into our lives can reach a point where there are simply too many competing priorities.
I consider myself a good organiser and delegator. I can generally fit a lot into a day. But right now, I'm selling the home we have lived in for 32 years, supporting my ageing mother, relocating and studying part-time.
At times, it has been overwhelming and for many weeks ongoing.
I've described this period as the storm before the calm.
And it has reminded me of something I observed many times during my career in management and Human Resources.
Efficiency takes time
When someone is new to a role, they can look at the workload of the person before them and wonder:
How on earth did they manage all of this?
The answer is often quite simple — they didn't manage it all on day one.
Over time, we learn. We develop systems. We understand what is urgent and what can wait. We know who to call, where to find information and which tasks actually require our immediate attention.
Our efficiency increases.
I saw this particularly in manufacturing environments, but also in other industries with high staff turnover. Some organisations had very stable workforces, while others relied heavily on casual employees and experienced significant turnover. The difference that experience and familiarity could make to efficiency was enormous.
As a manager, I would often tell someone who was feeling overwhelmed:
Just work through it. It won’t seem overwhelming. You will get there.
And usually, they did.
Reset the expectations
I once had a manager who gave me a piece of advice that has stayed with me:
If you're not going to meet a particular timeframe or deadline, reset their expectations.
It's simple advice, but useful in both work and life.
Sometimes a deadline needs to move. Sometimes the study has to take a back seat. Sometimes something you intended to do today becomes tomorrow's job.
Provided we communicate, give people reasonable notice and understand which things genuinely cannot wait, the world generally doesn't end because something has been delayed.
In fact, this week's reflection is a perfect example.
Under 'normal' circumstances, I would have updated my reflections earlier, my at present weekly reflection. But this week... you guessed it — I needed to push it out because I simply had too many competing priorities.
And that's okay. I reset the expectation.
We can also ask for help.
Being independent doesn't mean doing everything yourself. Good delegation is partly about recognising your own limitations and accepting that other people can contribute too.
Perhaps the most important thing is to stop expecting ourselves to perform at maximum capacity in every area of our lives at the same time.
There will be periods when work needs more of us.
There will be periods when family does.
There will be periods when we need to give more attention to ourselves.
Life changes, and so do our priorities.
So, if you're juggling too many balls at the moment, concentrate on the ones that really need to stay in the air. Some of the others can wait.
Reset expectations. Ask for help. Give yourself some latitude.
And remember that sometimes you're simply living through the storm before the calm.
What’s the saying……. Keep calm and carry on.
