Juggling Elephants Blog

Labels: planning, ringmaster

Last week I had a conversation with someone who is definitely "struggling to get it all done." The twist was that while they had lots of acts going on in their work ring, they just didn't have some of the RIGHT ones. They were busy, but not bringing the right tasks into their lineup to improve their business over the long term.

It became very clear that my role was to listen. When they finished their verbal download, I simply asked one question: "If you could perform only one task at work tomorrow that could have a major impact on the success of your business, what would it be?" While I expected a litany of items, he just replied, "I need to make a phone call." And he did.

The enthusiasm I heard in his voice after the phone call was wonderful! While he has not worked out the details yet, at least he has new hope for his business-and his circus.

What is the one small thing you could do today that could have a big impact on one or more of the areas of your life?

Labels: goal setting, planning, priorities

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

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

Fast Company Magazine is a fantastic monthly publication that highlights today's hot business trends and looks at what might be on the horizon tomorrow. Robert Safian is the editor and his letter from the editor this month had a powerful thought. He is speaking about the success of Mike Rowe and his cable show, Dirty Jobs:

But Rowe's story also allows us to examine an underappreciated aspect of economic success: the genius of expertly executed craftmanship. It is the glue that cements ideas, on one end, and hard work, on the other, to fuel productivity. Either type of asset is squandered if inappropriately deployed. Execution is the great differentiator in our global economic competition.

What a great equation! Ideas + Great Execution + Hard Work = Productivity.

Reviewing the equation each day may help determine which one is lacking in my performance and what changes I need to make to get the standing ovations I want from others or myself.

Labels: planning, productivity

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

While listening to the news on TV this morning, a Public Service Announcement caught my attention. The narrator said:

That is so true! As we say in Juggling Elephants, "The Ringmaster always reviews the next act before bringing it into the ring." Too often we make our task lists and then move quickly through them, rarely pausing to see if a better order or choice of acts might be needed.

Today, try something different. Before you start the next item on your list, ask yourself:
-Is this the most important task for me to undertake at this moment?
-Would a better act be in order?

That momentary pause might be the difference between getting a standing ovation today and just having another busy day.

Labels: planning, productivity, time management

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