Juggling

Oftentimes, in all our professional duties and responsibilities, we feel like were juggling so many balls that we fear were going to drop one (or all), creating more issues than the ones we can’t handle already. This can lead you to feeling like it’s impossible to do all aspects of your job.

How do you overcome these feelings?

Well, first, I suggest you seek out help in the form of supervision. Or speak with a more experienced colleague. Doing this can gain you valuable advice on to function more effectively. Don’t be afraid to let your supervisor know you need assistance. You may find you have supportive colleagues who will come to your aid.

Second, look inside yourself and really look to see if the situation is a result of you not delegating and taking on all the responsibilities, even those that are not yours. Companies don’t run by themselves and there are differing positions with differing responsibilities for a reason. Are you taking advantage of what’s available to you?

Third, prioritize. Which one of these balls do you feel you have the best handle on that you know if you let go, I’d be ok for a day or two without expecting a horrible response? Or could be given to someone else who isn’t likely to mess it up? Go through the list of balls you have. Find out what truly is the most important. From there, you can make a plan on how to get rid of all these balls you have or make it to the point where you can put all the balls on a table for you to get to at your own pace.

Lastly, take some time to think about the balls that truly give you joy and make you happy to do. What is it that makes you happy to do it? What skills or talents are you using to do it? Is there any way you can use those same skills or talents to complete the other tasks?

We all have jobs where things can be overwhelming at times and we have tasks we don’t like to do. However, we can change how we think about these tasks by using our talents to complete them quickly which can help us be more effective and productive, leading to feeling less overwhelmed.