The juggle is REAL
Yes, the new school year has started, and the juggle is REAL!
Before your to-do’s become a never-ending list, now is the perfect time to take a moment and get serious about simplifying your juggle.
Recently, I’ve been listening to Drop The Ball by Tiffany Dufu and her refreshing take on what dropping the ball means has reminded me of a few truths we could probably all benefit from hearing right now.
Living an organised life isn’t about doing it all and being on top of everything. It’s about letting go of the things that aren’t important to us – physically, mentally and emotionally.
I think as women in particular, we often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to take on a certain role or pick up a certain number of balls determined more by our social conditioning than our conscious choice. And often, this adds up to more balls in the air than anyone can realistically juggle, and a hectic and overwhelming mental load.
Drop The Ball reminded me to release the unrealistic expectations of doing it all and, more importantly, engaging the help of others to achieve what matters most to me.
Too many balls clutter up our minds and lives, taking our precious time and energy. And generally, we don’t talk about it, which leaves us thinking we’re the only one feeling this way.
In Tiffany’s book she makes it clear that your individual problem is a collective one too, with unequivocal research to demonstrate it. She also encourages us to take a closer look at the balls we juggle and consider what would happen if I dropped one?
Ask yourself, ‘Is it really necessary to keep all these balls in the air? Do I really have to? Is it important to me and the life I want to live? Do I have to do all these things myself? Do I want to do all these things society tells me I should be doing? Or am I setting unrealistic expectations for myself?’
I’m a recovering perfectionist, so I understand the mammoth effort it takes to change these habits and expectations. I started by thinking about what is really important to me. Think about it in terms of which balls are precious crystal – to be handled with care as they dear to you – versus the rubber balls that can be dropped, won’t break and can be picked up later? There may be some balls that you just don’t want to play with that can either be handled by someone else or just left where they land.
Whichever way you approach it, being clear about what is important to you is the key to simplifying the juggle and clearing the clutter in your mind, space and life. It’s time to reclaim your time and create a little calm for yourself. Just let some of the balls fall!
Ali
