How to juggle priorities without dropping the ball

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of juggling?

Typically it’s a performer juggling and trying to balance a heap of balls, knives or plates in the air simultaneously, catching the ones they need to catch as they come around…and sometimes having to throw them back around again..

It’s a lot like Juggling priorities, at work, at home without dropping the ball, wouldn’t you agree?

A little while ago I worked with a client who was running multiple businesses and they expressed frustration and overwhelm with trying to juggle and  balance so many demanding priorities and as a result,  finding that they were forgetting the most important, most critical tasks.

A common failure of  prioritising is juggling too many tasks at the one time:

➤relationships

➤decisions

➤time

➤Emails

➤Notes in your diary or notebook

➤Tasks you are trying to remember

➤Sticky Note  reminders or scrap paper notes – sounding familiar….(i like the coloured oneness)

➤Text messages

➤And probably so many other things too…

If you drop a few balls (priorities), then chances are you’re risking the most important ones.

Trying to work on many tasks at once reduces our focus and effort and creates overwhelm with the number of tasks to complete.

THIS IS A COMMON CAUSE OF FAILURE.

So how do you make sure that you don’t drop the ball on the most important, most critical tasks when you’re super-busy and juggling priorities?

How do you keep them all up going around and catching the ones you need to catch as they come around?

1. RECOGNISE

Instead of spreading yourself thin by focusing on several tasks at the one time, invest your mental focus on one task at a time, start with the most important task right now.

Recognising our thoughts, and the quality of the questions we ask ourselves, determines our experience, our results and non results. If you want to change your results, then you’ve GOT TO change the quality of your questions. Our questions help design a strategy, a structure and plan to achieve the right results and our ability to anticipate and solve any challenges along the way.

How often do you STOP and ask yourself:

  • What’s going on around me right now?
  • Am I getting the results I need?
  • If not, why not?
  • What do I what to achieve specifically?
  • How clear am I on the end game?
  • What do I need to change?
  • What do I need to adjust?
  • What do I need to get rid of?
  • What do I need to delegate?

A large part of prioritising is not just about identifying what needs to be done, but also identifying what needs to go, in order to get things done.

Most people are unwilling to make a conscious decision to eliminate certain things necessary to get the priority things done.

2. EVALUATE

How Intune are you with your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, your attitude, beliefs and the rules you make up for yourself and for those around you? Know that if you can’t language it, you simply can’t have it. So many people wonder why they experience the same problems repeatedly.

  • How clear are you on the outcome?
  • Why does this matter?
  • Why is it important?
  • What are the steps?
  • What’s your highest intention?
  • What will happen if you don’t get this done?
  • Does it have to be this way?
  • Is there another way?
  • Are you saying yes when you should be saying no?
  • What do you need to know about this?
  • What is your attitude when it comes to getting things done?

3. SET THE TONE

Set the Tone – How do you really want things to be?

  • What is your approach when it comes to prioritising?
  • What standards do you hold for yourself? For others?
  • What are your expectations of self? Of others?
  • What do you hold on to?
  • What do you need to stop doing?
  • What needs to go?
  • What will you start doing?
  • Who do you need on your team to get things done?
  • Who needs to go?
  • Who do you need to be?

4. TEST AND MEASURE

Everything we experience, goes through an automatic thinking process. Most of the time, we’re in auto pilot.

I wonder, what if you take some time now, step back and ask yourself:

  • Does this task demand immediate attention?
  • What will this task help me achieve?
  • Is this task related to crucial issues?
  • Is this task critical to achieving the end in mind?
  • Can this task be delayed? Postponed?
  • Is this task a trivial interruption? A distraction?
  • What am I avoiding?
  • Do I avoid the critical tasks?
  • For what purpose?

QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWER!

Most people think they ‘’think’’ strategically, however, thinking strategically is not copying, agreeing, going with the flow, doing what you’ve always done, nor is it remembering and memorising. It’s so much more than that. It’s our willingness and the skill to:

  • challenge any situation
  • explore what is, what could be
  • challenge ineffective strategies
  • ask inductive, provoking questions
  • challenge yourself
  • challenge those around you
  • BE the inspirer of new thinking by asking great questions
  • bring innovative thinking, invent new pathways, new possibilities.

By asking the right questions, this helps us to gain clarity, understanding and certainty.

If you find you have no response, or a negative response, then ask another question.

It’s ok to question, because when we ask great questions, this then allows room for exploration, clarity and understanding, eliminating assumptions, confusion, conflict, wrong decisions and misunderstandings.

In fact, it puts everyone and everything on the same page and on the right track.

In conclusion…

Develop the human skills that systems can’t replace, replicate nor automate by understanding yourself and your thinking even more.

Develop the right skills you need to prioritise and be able to devise action plans for the important, non urgent tasks and begin working on these straight away.

Learn how to make powerful decisions.

Learn how to ask inductive questions.

I trust this has been useful and that it brings some value and insights and maybe leads to some action and change around this topic for you.

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by Alexandra Egan
Domino Effect Consulting & Facilitating – www.alexandraegan.com.au  R.E.S.E.T Your Thinking
Alexandra makes it easy for you to strategically think about, better manage and resolve any challenging situation. If you’re looking for someone to help you plan and prioritise your tasks, CLICK HERE and schedule in a free 30 minute strategy session.