How can I be a more efficient juggler?

Posted by Sarah Hobbs

In our last article we looked at how reluctant jugglers can juggle more. But what if you’re one of the people who enjoys juggling tasks – what can you do to make yourself even more effective at it?

Here are some ideas that can help you achieve more from your multi-tasking.

Track your commitments ruthlessly. Using both your diary and some lists, make sure you are in full control of what you’re juggling. Make notes that capture everything that you’ve committed to do. Have lists that are quick to review. Make calendar reminders that will prompt timely action. The last thing you need when you are juggling a massive workload is to worry about what you’ve forgotten – or have people confront you with items you haven’t got to. This control is the difference between high energy and high stress!

Reflect and review. Good jugglers are often very adrenaline-driven, which unfortunately means they struggle to stop and reflect – they’d rather be doing than thinking. With that in mind, make it a priority to set regular times aside to reflect on all the plates you are spinning. Are there some plates that no longer need spinning? Which are doing nicely, or could be looked after by others? Which will fail if urgent action isn’t taken?

Don’t agree to juggle everything. People who like a lot of variety are often poor at saying “no” to new things that look interesting. If you know you are attracted to things that look bright and shiny, make it a rule not to agree on the spot – ask for time to think about whether you can fit them in your schedule. Be realistic about your capacity – and save your energy for the right things, not just those that seemed like a nice idea at the time.

Define what you need to do. A lot of people accept new work without really taking the time to understand it. They know they’ve got a particular task to complete, and they wait until they’re ready to start that task before they give it any consideration. Only then do they realise it’s going to take two weeks longer than expected and that they’ll need input from several other people who are now on holiday! David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done (which is a fantastic book), says “define your work when it shows up, not when it blows up”.

Assume that everything will take longer than you think. People who juggle a lot tend to think they are superhuman and that everything can be done in an unrealistic timescale. They don’t like tracking how long it takes to do something, and getting good at time estimation. When estimating how long something will take, they assume they will always be working under optimum conditions – that they won’t have a cold, or be interrupted, or have to drop everything to help someone else. I’ve fallen foul of this a lot in the past, and I now assume that everything will take 25-50% longer than I think it will and plan accordingly. If you want to gain a reputation for being outstanding at juggling – put in the time to become one of the few who can accurately estimate how long things will take.

If you’re energised by deadlines, find ways to avoid last minute delivery. I often find that last minute pressure is when I get creative, or pull everything together. But this gives everyone around me the jitters, as it always looks like things might not be pulled together in time. And actually when I do something at the last minute, I find I may not do the task justice. I’ve experimented with setting myself a target of getting everything completed a day or so before it was needed, and the increased quality of what I produced encouraged me to continue. A big tip is to schedule a review with a senior manager or client a few days ahead of time. That way, the urgent deadline comes forward a few days – allowing time to review and make adjustments before the delivery deadline. I naturally don’t always achieve it, but getting 90% of work done ahead of time makes life so much easier – and people are much happier with what I deliver.

TAKE AWAY
Juggling is an important skill in the workplace. But the real skill isn’t in doing more, but in managing the process more efficiently. Getting the process right will ultimately help you to juggle a high workload while delivering an even higher quality of work.