I've always been
fascinated by jugglers, especially those who can take a bite out of an apple
while maintaining the blur of flying objects. But despite detailed instructions,
I still can't juggle even two balls at the same time. Yet, I am expert at juggling
life, including chronic fatigue and a special needs child, and the pursuit of
my writing dream.
Here are a few tips for
successful juggling.
1. Start small. Most instructions for
juggling start with one ball and have you toss it back and forth for hours
before ever adding a second ball or thinking about a third.
The same is true
with life. I first learned this lesson over ten years ago after being diagnosed
with chronic fatigue syndrome. I could realistically only handle small tasks in
short increments, so I gave myself permission to only get a few things done
each day until I could eventually add more responsibilities. As a writer trying
to juggle creating, editing, critiquing, marketing, and social media, the same
principle applies. Consistently write 100 or 200 words a day before trying for bigger
goals. Master one social media account before adding another.
2. Expect to drop balls. Even the
experts drop things, especially in private when they're rehearsing a new act.
Does a juggler quit? No. They just pick it up and start again.
In life and
writing, there will be days where supper didn't get thawed out in time or you
get a call from the child's teacher or your proposal was rejected. Cry. Groan.
Pray. Then pick up the pieces and keep on going. Tomorrow is a new day with
fresh mercies from the hand of God.
3. Trust the rhythm. The best juggling
acts are those where the performer also keeps up a steady banter with the
audience. How? By trusting the rhythm. After hours of practice, their body
simply knows where to be in order to handle the cascading balls.
There is power
in familiar routines like putting your keys in the same place every day, so
take those small steps from point #1 and create habits. For example, by tossing
a load into the washer before packing lunches, it is ready for the dryer when I
head out with the carpool ... and ready to fold when I return. I take a half
hour on Saturday to schedule social media updates for the week and then spend just
fifteen minutes a day adding a few new pins, a relevant retweet, and
interacting on Facebook. By trusting the routines, I know certain things will
get done consistently.
4. Keep your focus on one thing at a time. Watch
a juggler's eyes and you'll discover that they focus on one spot directly in
front of them as each airborne object flies by. There are balls in each hand,
some leaving, and some arriving ... but the juggler focuses on only one ball at
a time.
My to-do list gets
overwhelming, but once my day gets into motion, I try to focus on one thing at
a time. Word counts accumulate during the quiet morning hours while the kids
are at school followed by day job tasks once the creative well dwindles. A
quick nap, then home, family, and social media after school, and catch-ups once
the younger kids are in bed. Like juggling, I focus on the highest priority at
the moment.
5. Stay relaxed. A juggler in proper
position keeps their arms relaxed, only makes small movements, and certainly
does not chase frantically after
out-of-control objects. If a routine is falling apart, they stop, take a deep
breath, gather their stuff, and then start again.
When my life
gets out of control—and with a special needs hormonal teenaged daughter with
autistic characteristics, it happens often!—I too can stop, take a deep breath,
pray for wisdom, accept God's peace, and then carry on.
What about you? How well
do you juggle? What's your secret to keeping multiple projects and
responsibilities going at once?
Click to Tweet
I gave myself permission to only get a few things done each day. Click to Tweet
Stop, take a breath, pray for wisdom, accept God's peace & carry on. Click to Tweet
What's your secret to keep all your projects going at once? Click to Tweet
Candee Fick is a busy football
coach's wife and mother to three including one with a rare genetic syndrome. In
addition to her day job summarizing asbestos depositions for an industrial
hygiene company, she is pursuing her dream of someday writing full-time. While
she has self-published a book for parents with special needs kids and several
devotionals, she continues to hone her fiction craft. As a member of ACFW, she
was the Genesis runner-up in women's fiction in 2009 and a Genesis
semi-finalist in 2011.
You can find Candee's
blog, Encouragement For The Journey, at www.CandeeFick.com.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CandeeFick
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/CandeeFick
Making Lemonade: Parents Transforming Special Needs
