Are You a Plate-Spinning Juggler?

Are you the Plate Spinning Juggler?  

Being a recovering Plate Spinning Juggler I understand how this happens, It starts out small adding one thing here and another thing there to your plate until there are so many things you have to take care of that you keep adding plates and have to keep them all spinning at the same time, it becomes an overwhelming out of control circus act starring YOU! With the holidays on the horizon, I know I get excited and go into Wonder Woman overdrive and then hello exhaustion, illness, resentment, and feeling unappreciated. We all have responsibilities and commitments in our lives and sometimes we can go overboard in an unhealthy direction justifying our out-of-control plate-spinning behavior. Just as much as we want to be there for others, we need to be there for ourselves and have a healthy and harmonious balance in everything that we do. Have you ever said I’ll just work for one extra hour and then I’ll take an extra hour off tomorrow…how often do you take that extra hour off? Do you pick up the extra carpool shift? Do you stay out extra late because someone else wasn’t ready to go home? Do you feel responsible for things that really are not your responsibility? If you do you might be a plate-spinning juggler.   

Five things that mean you could be a Plate-Spinning Juggler: 

1. Balancing Act: How Constantly Juggling Responsibilities Can Lead to Burnout When juggling multiple responsibilities—work, family, personal goals, and social commitments—it’s easy to feel like you’re performing a delicate balancing act. Over time, this constant pressure to keep everything in motion can lead to burnout. Burnout manifests as physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, making it difficult to maintain the very balance you’re striving for. Recognizing the early signs of burnout is crucial to adjusting your workload and preserving your well-being. 
2. The Pressure of Perfection: Are You Spinning Too Many Plates in the Pursuit of Success? The pursuit of success often comes with the belief that you need to excel in every area of life—career, relationships, health, and hobbies. This pressure to be perfect can drive you to spin too many plates at once, leaving you stretched thin and unable to give your best to any one thing. The constant fear of dropping a plate can lead to anxiety and a sense of inadequacy, even when you’re achieving great things. It’s important to reevaluate your priorities and recognize that perfection isn’t necessary for success. 
3. When Multitasking Becomes Overwhelming: Signs You’re Taking on Too Much Multitasking is often seen as a valuable skill, but when you’re managing too many tasks at once, it can quickly become overwhelming. The brain isn’t designed to handle constant switching between tasks, and this can lead to decreased productivity, mistakes, and mental fatigue. If you find yourself frequently distracted, forgetting important details, or feeling frazzled, it might be a sign that you’re taking on too much. Learning to delegate, say no, and focus on one thing at a time can help restore balance. 
4. The Cost of Keeping Everything Afloat: Understanding the Emotional Toll of Overcommitting Keeping everything afloat—whether it’s at work, home, or in your social life—can come at a significant emotional cost. Overcommitting yourself to too many tasks and responsibilities can lead to feelings of resentment, stress, and emotional exhaustion. This constant state of busyness can also strain relationships, as you may not have the time or energy to connect with others meaningfully. Recognizing the emotional toll of overcommitting is the first step in setting healthy boundaries and protecting your emotional well-being. 
5. Finding Stability: Strategies to Stop Spinning Plates and Start Prioritizing What Matters Most Finding stability in your life requires taking a step back to assess which plates truly need to keep spinning and which can be set down. This involves prioritizing what matters most—whether it’s your health, key relationships, or personal goals—and letting go of tasks and commitments that don’t serve your well-being. Strategies like time management, setting clear boundaries, and practicing mindfulness can help you focus on what’s truly important, allowing you to live a more balanced and fulfilling life. When everything is a priority then nothing is a priority. When I learned the word “NO” my life began to shift. It was shocking to some of the people in my life and at the same time it gave me freedom. 

I invite you to Plate-Spinning Juggler Recovery, try these exercises and begin to feel the freedom: 

1. Before you answer “yes” to something you can take a pause and say: let me call you right back or that sounds interesting I need to check my calendar or need to check with whoever and get back to them before you say yes. It’s a nice feeling to be the yes person at first until you begin to see the load you just put on yourself. Before saying yes consider the effect it will have on your mind, body and soul. 
2. Delegation and Letting Go: Identify tasks or responsibilities that can be delegated to others, whether at work, at home, or in your personal life. Practice the art of letting go by entrusting others to handle these tasks. This exercise not only lightens your load but also empowers those around you. Start with small tasks and gradually work your way up to larger ones as you build trust and confidence in delegating. 
3.  Single-Tasking Challenge: Challenge yourself to focus on one task at a time for an entire day or week. Resist the urge to multitask, and instead give your full attention to completing each task before moving on to the next. Notice how this approach impacts your productivity, stress levels, and overall sense of accomplishment. Single-tasking can help you break the habit of juggling too many things at once and lead to more efficient and satisfying work. 
4. Task Elimination Audit: Conduct a task elimination audit by reviewing all your current responsibilities and commitments. Ask yourself if each task is truly necessary or if it’s something you’ve taken on out of habit, obligation, or guilt. Identify tasks that no longer serve your goals or well-being, and consider eliminating or reducing them from your routine. This exercise helps declutter your schedule and free up time for more meaningful activities. 
5. Setting Boundaries Exercise: Practice setting clear boundaries by identifying areas in your life where you feel overwhelmed or overextended. For each area, determine specific limits you need to set, such as limiting work hours, saying no to additional commitments, or creating personal time for yourself. Communicate these boundaries assertively with others, and stick to them. This exercise helps protect your time and energy, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. 
6. Time Blocking Technique: Allocate specific blocks of time in your daily or weekly schedule for focused work, rest, and personal activities. During these blocks, commit to working on one task or project at a time, without interruptions. By creating designated time slots for different aspects of your life, you can manage your responsibilities more effectively and prevent overwhelm from multitasking. 
7. Prioritization Matrix Exercise: Create a simple prioritization matrix with four quadrants labeled: Urgent & Important, Important but Not Urgent, Urgent but Not Important, and Not Urgent & Not Important. List all your tasks and responsibilities, placing each one in the appropriate quadrant. Focus on tackling items in the Urgent & Important quadrant first and consider delegating or eliminating tasks in the Not Urgent & Not Important quadrant. This exercise helps you focus on what truly matters and reduces the pressure to do everything at once. 
8. Mindful Pause Practice: Throughout your day, practice taking short mindful pauses, even if just for a minute or two. During these pauses, stop whatever you’re doing, take a few deep breaths, and simply observe how you’re feeling physically and emotionally. This practice helps you stay grounded, recognize when you’re feeling overwhelmed, and make conscious decisions about how to proceed, rather than getting caught up in the rush of tasks. 
9. Gratitude Journaling: Incorporate gratitude journaling into your daily routine. Each day, write down three things you’re grateful for, focusing on aspects of your life that bring you joy, peace, or fulfillment. This exercise shifts your focus from what you need to do or achieve to what you already have and appreciate. Practicing gratitude can reduce the pressure to constantly juggle and achieve, helping you find contentment in the present moment. 

If you see yourself in this information, then congratulations on the awareness of your first step to a new way of conducting your life and if you think this would be helpful to someone you know please pass it on to them. Until next month PUT THOSE PLATES DOWN!