The harsh reality of our work lives is that there are more things to do than we have resources for. There aren’t enough hours in the day to stay on top of all emails, bug reports, and customer feedback.
This is a good problem to have—the alternative would be a stagnating business that cannot move forward—but it does force us to make choices.
There comes a point when you end up juggling too many balls, and the only way forward is to drop some. When that happens, ask yourself, “Will it bounce or will it break?”
If a task, meeting, or project will break if dropped, you have to keep juggling it or at least find a way to set it aside gently. But if it will bounce back, either in someone else’s lap or on the floor, ready to be picked up later, it’s safe to let it go.
If you find yourself overwhelmed juggling too many balls, look for those that won’t break when dropped and give yourself permission to let them go. They’ll bounce back to you sooner or later if they are truly important.
Credit for this idea goes to Steph Viccari and Chris Toomey, the hosts of what was the best iteration of The Bike Shed Podcast. Unfortunately, I didn’t note down the episode where they discussed it. If you are a keen researcher and want to look into it, the note I have about this idea dates 2021/11/22.
Below is an alternative AI-generated cover for this post, made with DALL-E. I find the many fingers hilarious. A good reminder that generative AIs are giant average machines and that we have more pressing problems to worry about these days than them developing consciousness and taking over the world.
Nice job! )
I enjoy what you do, Gio!
You so thoroughly relate to the job, life, and everything we face in life, employment, and others. I am glad that you are :)