Juggling Elephants Blog

When your circus seems out of control, ask yourself: "Do ALL these acts contribute to accomplishing my purpose-or have they been added to my lineup due to convenience, procrastination or simply the inability to say 'No?'"

Labels: focus, purpose

"Do It Yourself." It's a mantra shared by many of us as we seek to reduce the cost of auto repair, home improvement or even tasks within a small business.

Bruce Johnson, author of 50 Simple Ways to Save Your House, asks himself three questions before taking on a project-or leaving it to a pro:

• Do I have the time?


• Will the job require specialized tools and skills?


• Is there a safety risk?

What difference would that make if you did the same before attempting to add a "do it yourself act" to your lineup?

Labels: delegation, focus

With rising fuel prices, many of us are being forced to limit trips in our vehicles and avoid unnecessary driving. In some cases, people may even have to limit spending on other items in order to pay for fuel. I have a friend who is an independent truck driver, and he has had to turn down some jobs because, in his words, "I just can't make money delivering that load." Tough times indeed.

This situation also caused me to reflect on how things would be different in my own life if I looked at my time and energy in a similar manner more often. Here are some possibilities:

• I would more consciously prioritize the tasks in my day, insuring that the ones with the greatest connection to my purpose were accomplished first.


• Because time is so valuable, I would guard against wasting a single moment.


• Before expending my energy (physical, mental or emotional) on any issue or task, I would ask if the benefit was really worth the cost. Put another way, does it help me accomplish my purpose? If the answer is no-it would not find it's way into my schedule.

Bottom line? I'd stop wasting my own resources. Good advice to myself-whether it's fuel, time or energy of any kind.

Labels: focus, planning, priorities

This is a trap that I have found myself completely caught in. I am working on a project on my computer and all of a sudden I hear the familiar "dah duh, dah duh" of my email box announcing that I've got mail. Curious, I stop what I am doing and checkout what has just arrived. Or even worse, a little window pops up with, "Message from Wendy". I wonder, "What does Wendy have to say?". Fifteen minutes later I am finished responding to Wendy and a few other messages that have arrived. I am now totally derailed from what I have been doing on my project.

Email is a wonderful tool but it also can be a MAJOR interrupter and time waster. Try turning the bell and popup off. If email is critical to what you do at work, schedule a consistent time (like the top of the hour) to check email. Otherwise, fight the urge to check email too often-maybe only check it 2-3 times a day. You will be surprised how your focus will increase as well as your productivity.

Labels: e-mail, focus, interruptions

Now that I have your attention. Been in a meeting recently where people were more engaged with their PDAs, phones or laptops than they were in the meeting? Thought so. It can be extremely frustrating. In response some companies have gone "topless" at meetings. No laptops during the discussions. Other companies have chosen to include IPhones and other personal devices that are so common in the workplace.

The article brings out several critical points both pro/con for the idea. They include:

• Partial attention due to using the devices during the meeting leads to partial results.


• Using the devices has created a mindset of "continuous partial attention." There is no point at which one is fully engaged in just one event or activity.


• Etiquette has not kept up with technology.


• The root problem may be that people just hate meetings.

Read the entire article at http://www.mercurynews.com//ci_8688897?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

Labels: focus, meetings, technology

Bernie Garcia, an 83 year old great-grandmother, was in a tough situation. As she was buying gas for her vehicle, a man approached her and tried to grab her purse. She fought back, and was pulled to the ground and dragged a short distance by the man before another man confronted the would-be robber. The thief was soon caught by local police after he fled in his vehicle.

Ms. Garcia, required no medical treatment. What really hit me about her story, however, is what she told her son after the attack. He asked, "Why didn't you just give (the purse) up?" Her reply was, "---- no, that was my purse. I was fighting for what was mine."

Take the same approach today with your time and energy. Don't let unnecessary or frivolous acts in your lineup "steal" your resources, making you unable to accomplish what is most important to you. Remember... you are fighting for something that means more to you than anyone else.

Click here to read her entire story.

Labels: focus, interruptions

I came across this quote today by Edgar F. Roberts:

Every human mind is a great slumbering power until awakened by a keen desire and by definite resolution to do.

What acts in your lineup today do you have a "keen desire" to complete? If there are none or very few, maybe it's time to take a quick intermission and consider making some changes to the lineup-or to revisit your purpose for doing them.

Labels: focus, motivation

One tip that I have found to be simple but helpful in managing my 3 ring circus is to use a quad-pen on a master calendar. A quad pen has 3 colors of ink (usually black, blue and red) and a pencil all built into the same writing device. I write all of the activities going on in my life on one calendar but I use the colors from the quad pen to differentiate the three rings of my life. I use black for my work appointments, blue for my "self" activities and red for the activities that relate to my relationships. I use the pencil for appointments that are tentative and have not yet confirmed.

This method keeps my calendar organized but also gives me a great visual way of seeing what is going on and where my rings are having conflicts. A real danger is having multiple calendars that are not in sync (like a work calendar, a pocket calendar and a family calendar). One organized calendar will reduce the stress of wondering what ring I should be in and when. If you use an electronic device or PC for your calendar, the same concept works using color labels.

Labels: focus, planning, time management

In about a month there will be a whirl of activity around our home as we tackle the HUGE elephant of Spring cleaning. None of us look forward to it, although the outcome always gets a big standing ovation from everyone in our family.

This year I decided to take a new approach. Why not set aside 10 minutes a day to work on a small area, and then stop. I was motivated because I knew it wouldn't be too painful, and I was amazed at how much I could get done when laser focused on a single task. I've already started lining up the small acts for the rest of the week. After a few days I plan to let my wife in on my plan and show her the results.

I was affirmed in my efforts when I read a quote today by Marian Wright Edelman:
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

What small "act" could you undertake today that when combined with a series of small acts, could make a big difference in your performance?

Labels: focus, motivation, time management

Just like the circus is such a great experience because it is so visual, there are a number of ways you can improve your performance by simple visual reminders.

A 3x5 card in your pocket, on the wall of your cubicle, or on your bathroom mirror can act as a great tool to help keep you focused on what matters most. Write your goals on a card and attach it to your bathroom mirror - you will start your day reminding yourself of the things that you should be working on. Write an inspirational thought on a card and hang it on your wall for when you need a little boost. Carry quotes on a card that you want to memorize for when you are stuck in traffic or waiting in a doctor’s office with nothing to do - you will find you will have them down in no time. These simple reminders can help you keep the right acts in your lineup.

Labels: focus, goals, priorities

While planning my lineup for today, I had this great quote on my planning page:

Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be. One who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal, will one day realize it.
-James Allen

For me it would be so easy to slip into "Holiday mode" in the coming days and start putting off the tough acts until the first of the year. When I stop and think, however, doing that gives me a vision of a January that starts out with me feeling like I am 'juggling elephants." What I should do, instead, is bring those difficult acts into my lineup as soon as possible so that I can more completely enjoy my "intermission" over the holidays and have a much better focus heading into the new year.

Think about what you want your January to look like... and start lining up your acts today!

Labels: focus, planning

For those of you struggling with focus today, here's a quote to get back on track with your lineup:

Labels: focus, planning

One research firm has estimated that in approximately 5 years, 41% of an employee's time will be spent reading and responding to e mail. To me, that's scary!

In it's October 5 edition, USA Today had a great article entitled Fridays go from casual to e-mail-free. Marsha Egan, an executive coach gives some superb advice on taming that inbox. Among her suggestions:

• Don't use e mail to avoid unpleasant tasks. Talk to people face to face whenever possible.
• Don't constantly check for new messages.
• Respond to important messages first-even if they're difficult.

One of the most telling comments by Egan was that when you check e-mail, it can take up to 4 minutes to refocus. Multiply that by the number of times you check it per day, and you have wasted alot of time in your lineup that could have been used for a much better act-or even an intermission.

Labels: e-mail, focus, time management

800ceoread asks its readers about a challenge they are facing in the workplace and then offers insights from a business book that they believe has a viable solution. Today (September 17) they use Juggling Elephants to solve a workplace challenge. Click the link to read more:

Labels: focus, productivity, stress

In an article entitled "The Knowledge Maestro", (Fortune, September 17) Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, is asked about how he best works with others. One of his most striking comments to me was,

If you have the right people, and you're organizing things sensibly, there shouldn't be a lot of telling people what to do.

That's a great affirmation of the need to have the right "performers" in your circus and for creating a lineup that keeps everyone focused on the right tasks-including you.

Labels: focus, management, planning

In today's WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118912967608820227.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal), there was a follow up article to one in June where they asked people how they planned to spend their Summer Vacation. The article chronicled how well they had done in meeting their goals.

The article mirrored the way many people look at taking a break or an "intermission." Some do things to plan for the "next half" of their performance, they mentally or physically rest or they reflect on how their circus is going. When the intermission is over, they are more focused and better prepared for what's in their lineup.

Others just keep the acts going, and often wonder why their performance rarely improves.

Labels: focus, planning, stress reduction

Last week I was working with a statewide education group in Ohio. Prior to my training session, I was privileged to attend their annual awards session. One individual received several honors and I admired her commitment to the profession. "She really has her act together," I surmised.

Later that day I was surprised to see her arrive at my workshop. "What a pleasant surprise," I said. "Congratulations on your awards. What brings you here?" Her response was quite telling. "Oh I need to learn how to get other things done besides work." Bravo!

Another Ringmaster steps in the ring. She knew that while she had quality acts going on in her work ring, she needed to work on the acts in other areas of her life. I'm sure she will be getting standing ovations in those other areas soon.

Labels: focus, time management