Juggling and the Art of Multi-Tasking
I have.
I would say I am a fledgling juggler.
I can successfully juggle 3 balls in the air for around 30 seconds without dropping one.
I remember when I first was trying to learn to juggle. The guy who was teaching me had me start with just 2 balls. He had me hold them both in one hand, then throw one up and while it was coming down throw the other one up and catch the first, then catch the second.
At the beginning even that simple task seemed VERY difficult, but as I practiced I could do it. Then we added the other ball and after many many many dropsies I was able to string 4-5 "juggles" together before having them all crash down to the ground.
Recently, I've been having a very similar experience to this at work.
I remember when I used to be able to only focus on one of two things at a time. Any more than that and I would constantly be forgetting things and as they say "dropping the ball".
Over time however with some great coaching and pushing from leaders where I work I have had more success in keeping more things up in the air.
At the beginning I always feel I'm going to drop something, but having great people around and having a determined attitude, the results have started to surprise.
Now I know that I will still drop balls but the great thing is, the more you can juggle, even though you'll drop some, the end result is that there were so many more that you were able to keep up!!!
That thought I find very encouraging.
So for those of you who are trying to learn to "juggle" more in your career or life, don't focus so much on the one or two things you drop, take a second and look up.
See how many "balls" you actually are keeping up in the air!
Might surprise you!
I like your posting. I do think that we self-impose the obstacle of failure. Maybe if we just let thing go their natural way, life and work would have more continuity. I live in Asia where family, work and religion are homogeneous. This seems to eliminate the stress or loss of focus from one area of our lives into another. In the west we go off to work and are expected to forget about everything else in our lives. If we can eliminate the stress, we can have more balls in the air.
ReplyDeleteMultitasking is something that has to be learned if you need to focus on different things at once. Great comparison to juggling balls.
ReplyDeleteYes, in this high speed tech world we must become jugglers and gymnasts!
ReplyDeleteI pull it off from time to time, but not as often as I should. it's something I'm working on though.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful analogy and insight - thanks ! will keep in mind, the next time i feel overwhelmed with too many things on hand ! :-)
ReplyDeleteIn life we must put into writing the things that we really want to do.
ReplyDeleteWell said, I juggle all day long and drop stuff often. Thank you for the positive reminder.
ReplyDeleteI list every task up (like a grocery list) from the most important or urgent ones down to the not so urgent. Sometimes I do the easiest first to get it over and done. That way I tend to keep my task list short and manageable.
ReplyDeleteMy brain can't seem to handle doing only 1 or 2 tasks at a time...it needs 6 #ADD
ReplyDeleteI think the question isn't juggling activities but really refocusing concentration. Maybe your brain is wired differently but there are only so many tasks that can maintain my attention with any value to my efforts. Adding more usually end up as subtraction when it comes to my best efforts.
ReplyDeleteloads quickly, grasps attention, picture one person dealing with up to 323 seriously mentally ill patients in a maximum security prison, multi-taxing?
ReplyDeletePersonally the less i have to juggle the more peaceful life is
ReplyDeleteYou've got a gift - and it is not multi-tasking, but rather the ability to switch tasks and transition easily to the other without losing time, focus and concentration.
ReplyDeleteThe ball juggling analogy, by itself is misleading. The main task, regardless of how many balls you have in the air is making sure that the next one coming into your hand receives the right amount of focus so that you could throw it up again in the air and maintain consistency across.
Of course a little distraction may result in one or two (or more balls falling out of loop on how many is being juggled). Just with any other juggler, the tendency is to continue juggling the balls. Only time you stop is when one of the balls that fell down is one of the crucial ones to get the show going.
Multi-tasking is a great word in corporate sense, but after all, the end product of each task performed is what's measured.
How does multi-tasking effect quality ?
ReplyDeleteLove this article! Juggling is part of our fast moving times and its always wonderful to have another person's take on how to manage all these balls!!
ReplyDeleteLike multi-tasking but i don't use it for all tasking.
ReplyDeleteIn this world of 'do more with less time', we all drop balls - it cannot be avoided. What matters more is how (and how quickly) we pick up those balls and deliver on those commitments.
ReplyDeleteI think I have about 119 balls in the air right now. great points, I really think it's time to toss all this tech stuff and adopt a Laura Ingalls life style. For at least 1/2 a day
ReplyDeleteReally positive thinking, focusing on self development and not on temporary losses. Very good point.
ReplyDeleteHave worked hard to single-task after 15+ years of multi-tasking. Productivity headed up immediately.
ReplyDelete"So for those of you who are trying to learn to "juggle" more in your career or life, don't focus so much on the one or two things you drop, take a second and look up." What a great motivational quote for parents and kids as well.
ReplyDeleteI find using the pomidero technique and working on 1 thing at a time works wonders! Especially using the google Chrome add on (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cgmnfnmlficgeijcalkgnnkigkefkbhd) really awesome to keep you on task
ReplyDeleteRepetition certainly helps with improving performance, but it's important to recognise that some types of multitasking will lead to a greater amount of diminished performance.
ReplyDeleteTrying to do two visual tasks for instance reduces performance in both tasks significantly more than combining a visual and an audio task.
Also, people's perception of how well they're multitasking doesn't always match up with actual performance.