Juggling Responsibilities

I recently created a workshop on goalsetting and time management and wanted to share a tip on how to juggle multiple layers of responsibilities that we deal with on a daily basis.

I've read this metaphor of tasks being different kinds of balls to juggle years ago, and apologize that I have no memory of who/where it was from. I've added my own way of thinking about it and wanted to share it with you.

We all juggle many responsibilities, in multiple areas of life at the same time: house chores, kids activities, work responsibilities, zoom meetings, doctor's appointments, errands, etc. etc.

Now, think of all the responsibilities that you juggle as balls, but made from different materials: some are rubber and will bounce, some are plastic and will drop and roll away, some are glass and will break when dropped, some are heavy and make a crash when they come down.

At any given time we are juggling a bunch of different kinds of balls, and sometimes we run out of hands or make a mistake and a ball will drop. But this is where our choices and priorities come in. Being aware where each task/ball sits on your priority scale and what the consequences are if you drop it, helps you discern what to drop when tasks become too many to juggle.  

Different Kinds of Balls

Glass balls are tasks that are high priority, and they will have lasting consequences if they drop. For me these are kids (making sure their needs are taken care of and they feel loved and valued), urgent things like some one needing a doctor appt, and sometimes work things fall into this category. But I value family more than work, so in general considering my family always comes first in my decision making process.

Then there are some fragile balls that will break if you drop them too many times, the tasks on this list are things like keeping promises, showing up to meetings, keeping my deadlines, being professional in the way that I run my business. In general these are things that have to do with relationships, whether they be personal or work. There are times when I have had to ask for an extension for a deadline, and I have forgotten that I was supposed to be in a meeting. Give yourself grace when you drop these balls, but work on putting systems in place that minimize how often you drop them. If you drop fragile balls too often, you become unreliable, and damage your relationships.  

Third there are rubber balls that bounce back. There aren't horrible consequences when dropped, and I will pick them right back up into the mix. These are flexible tasks, that for me are things like; working on a new video, having to move my (self-imposed) completion date a bit on my calendar, or at home going out to dinner if I don't have time or energy to cook that night, or not cleaning the house this week. I don’t worry about dropping them too much, but I add them back to my to-do list at a later point in time.

Fourth there are big bowling balls. They are rare and when they fall, they make a huge crash, but when the dust settles, you carry on. These things are bigger life events that disrupt everything else and they might often be outside of your control. For me these are things like moves (we are active duty military and have moved 8 times in 18 years, 5 of those overseas), death in family, or a big project falling through. It could be losing a job or a divorce. These are things that stop you. They hurt, you often learn something new about yourself, how much stronger you are than you think, and hopefully the event leads to growth. Once you get going again, life continues and finds it's new routines.  

Last there are pretty, shiny plastic balls. These balls land flat on the ground and roll under the couch never to be seen again. These are tasks that I put on my calendar, but if I end up not having enough time, they are the first ones to drop. For me, what falls into this category is busywork like social media posting, and creating YouTube videos. These tasks are great to do, and they do advance me towards my goals, but they are not things that I rely on for income, or that directly affect my relationships. In one month no-one will care or even know if you meant to post something that day/week. Your journey to your goal might be a bit slower, but the negative effects of burying yourself in busywork on top of the more important tasks, will negatively affect relationships, and your health + mental health. So if I end up dropping this kind of task from my to-do list, I don't worry about trying to make it up later. I might add it to my schedule again next cycle, but I know that if some one gets sick, or another more important task comes up suddenly, then the plastic balls drop and make room for more important things. If I didn't get to it, then it was not meant to be, and I don't stress over it.

Prioritize The Balls

As a creative freelancer with ADHD, it's super easy to get distracted by the pretty shiny plastic balls (squirrels!) and bury myself in busywork. But being able to stop and look at the tasks I’m trying to juggle this week/month and prioritize them, it’s easier to let go of the tasks that bog me down, and concentrate on keeping the more important balls in the air.

Next time when you are feeling squeezed for time, or anxious, analyze the tasks at hand, and decide where they lay on the glass-rubber-plastic ball scale: will there be negative or long term consequences if you drop a task, can something be done later, or is it busywork? Clearing out room for the important things in life, will help you feel more fulfilled and help you reach goals more efficiently.

If you want to learn more about how I set my long term priorities up, and create a calendar that enables me to schedule my time for months in advance, taking away the headache of deciding what to do every day, check out my 1 hr workshop at www.mirkah.com/goalsetting.