9 Incredibly Simple Tips For Juggling Too Many Things At Once
It’s never wise to commit to too many things at once. But the reality of the world is that, sometimes, it’s necessary in life to juggle a number of different things.
You have a family to take care of, friendships and relationships to maintain, work to perform well in, and hobbies to keep up.
It can all seem like a lot to deal with – so how can you manage?
Juggling Multiple Things At Once
Break Them Down
When you have a lot to do at once, it’s easy to get caught up in overwhelmed feelings. There’s too much for you to process at once!
That’s where breaking things down into smaller chunks and individually planning them comes into play.
Instead of focusing on the larger picture of juggling many different responsibilities, separate them into categories.
What are your responsibilities to your family? To your personal passion projects? To your job? Or if you’re juggling many work projects, separate them individually.
Once you’ve done this, you can break each item further down into smaller, short-term goals.
Write everything down, separating the categories, and you’ll be able to see all the easy, less overwhelming steps you can take to get them all done.
Know Your Limits
You may think you’re an expert juggler, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have your limits, too.
If you’re used to having to balance a lot of things at once, you may not realize that there’ll be an inevitable point where it gets to be too much.
Draw lines in the sand about how much you can take and how far you’ll go. How much can you truly juggle?
Remember, overcommitting and going beyond your limits will ultimately be unproductive, as you’ll wind up burning out and being too exhausted to juggle anything at all.
Take Breaks
It sounds ridiculous to take breaks when you’ve got such a packed schedule.
But if you don’t rest up, you’ll wind up burning out, and that won’t be helpful for you or anyone else!
Juggling things is tough and exhausting. You need to be prepared to take on all your different areas of work and responsibility.
Breaks give you the chance to gather more energy and build up your resilience again.
Start scheduling breaks into your plans and make sure you get time to recuperate regularly.
Say No To Things Sometimes
You don’t have to commit to everything that comes your way.
Even if you’re not at your personal limit for juggling responsibilities, you aren’t obligated to accept new commitments, especially if they’re not up your alley, don’t interest you, or are requested last minute.
Remember, it’s okay to say “no” sometimes. If you find yourself constantly wanting to please everyone, it’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t possible.
Being selective about where your time goes doesn’t make you selfish – it makes you smart, and it protects you from people who may take advantage of you!
Focus On One Thing At A Time
Multitasking isn’t as effective as it seems.
People often feel superior because of their ability to multitask, but it’s not really a workable strategy, only resulting in lower quality results across multiple different things.
Even if you have a lot of things to juggle, you should address each one individually, one by one. Don’t try to devote your attention to multiple tasks at once.
Instead, schedule time for each separately.
You’ll find that you work much more effectively and efficiently when you’re devoting your attention to one task at a time.
Delegate Tasks Or Ask For Help
It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you must do everything yourself, or else.
If you work with a team that you lead or are peers with, you may have difficulty trusting their capabilities for certain tasks.
You need to realize that these individuals can help you out. Delegating work to them can free up some parts of your schedule.
Even when work isn’t involved, you still don’t have to do everything yourself. There’s no shame in asking for help from others.
If you’re in a pickle, don’t be afraid to reach out to those who may be able to help you. Everyone needs a hand now and then!
Be Prepared For, And Learn From, Hiccups
Jugglers drop balls sometimes, and when you need to manage so many tasks, you’re likely to mess up now and then.
This is completely okay and fine, and to be quite honest, it’s to be expected.
It’s normal to make mistakes, especially when you’re spread a little thin.
The goal in your mind should be to learn from your mistakes and walk away wiser with brand new lessons.
Being ready for the possibility of errors puts you in the right headspace to take them in stride.
Look At Things Positively
If you have lots of things to juggle and don’t have a way around it, you’re not going to get very far if you don’t have the right attitude.
Thinking “I’ll never get all this done!” or “There’s no way I can do all this!” will already give you a disadvantage.
Be cautiously optimistic when you juggle your tasks.
Look on the bright side of them and believe in your ability to handle the different things you have to keep up in the air. The more positively you view your juggling, the more likely you are to do it well!
Give Yourself Credit
You’re incredible for being able to juggle so many things at once! Sometimes, it may feel like you’re never doing enough, especially if you’re sometimes overwhelmed by the necessary responsibilities you have.
Don’t beat yourself up for not being perfect or feeling a little out of depth.
Anyone would if they were in your situation.
Give yourself credit and pat yourself on the back for being superhuman, and treat yourself with care and love, like you deserve!
Balancing It All
It’s okay to need to juggle things sometimes, but if you’re constantly feeling out of sorts and like you’re taking on too much, it may be time to trim off some commitments.
Perfecting your schedule and filling your time in a way that works for you is important to your mental health, so don’t neglect that!
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