A Story for Humans with Too Much On Their Plate (and how to fix it)

I often get the question “how do you have time for all that?”?

As a mom, wife, and business owner, I wear many hats each day, and I still take time for myself often.

I love to read, crochet, sew, craft, etc… My kids know if I’m crocheting that I’m probably counting stitches and they need to wait to ask me anything (sometimes, anyway - other times it's me ripping out a row and starting over because I had to hear about how dogs only see two colors and why is that). ?

This isn’t selfish, this is me taking care of myself so I’m not an asshole to the people I care about. ?

Picture all the things you juggle in a typical week. If you made a list, how long would it be? For most of us, it probably looks like a CVS receipt (seriously CVS, I bought ONE thing).?

Now picture all those things on the list as balls you’re juggling (and that you can juggle).

Which ones are ok to drop, and which ones aren’t? ?

When I help clients work through priority setting, delegation, and time management, this is the first tool I use. ?

Determine which balls are plastic, and if you drop ‘em it’s not a big deal.

-brushing the dog

-loading the dishwasher

-organizing a messy bookshelf

-finishing a work report due next week that nobody will read anyway?

Drop these first (or delegate). ?

Now picture which balls are glass. If they drop, they shatter and real shitty consequences will occur for you or someone you love (either now or longer term).

What glass balls are you juggling?

-feeding your family

-helping your child with a school project for tomorrow

-finishing a high stakes project task that will set you up for a promo you want?

Question the fragility of each ball you’re juggling. Consider what’s ACTUALLY important to you, and what you value. And what isn’t.?

How many balls can you juggle?

Are you focusing on the plastic ones and letting the glass ones shatter?

Do you have too many balls in the air?

Are you dropping your glass balls more than you want to? ?

To answer the first question in this story: self-care is a glass ball for me. I’ve put myself last before, and it makes me cranky, controlling, and a super jerk. That’s not who I am, so I made room for my glass ball and dropped some plastic ones.

A big fancy meal for my kids every night is a plastic ball. Kids that are fed, even if it’s frozen nuggets, that’s a glass one.?

Is this a silver bullet to solve all your overcommittments? Nah, but it's a really good start. I'm not perfect at it, and I still drop glass balls sometimes. The difference is my self-awareness to what's happening so I can be conscious about making changes when they're needed.

What will you keep, drop, or delegate to ensure the right stuff stays in the air?

Need help figuring this out? Let's talk, I'm an expert in both being overcommitted and getting out of being overcommitted. I can help you find the path to what feels right for you. DM me for details.