Never Miss An Act In Your Circus

While having my car serviced the other day, I waded through the stack of magazines on the table, looking for something of interest. I found an issue of AARP magazine (yes, the one for retired peope) with an interesting article entitled, Never Get Sick! While I don't plan on being retired for at least two decades, I did see value in learning from those who have lived longer, healthier lives.The article gave 6 ways to increase your immunity and safeguard your health. The six given were:

• Smile when you say that. Research suggests 15 minutes of laughter daily may help prevent a heart attack.
• Bring up Bowser. Owning a pet has been shown to create lower cholesterol levels and improve recovery after heart attacks, even when exercise among both groups was the same. Even watching fish has been shown to reduce stress levels and the onset of Alzheimer's deterioration.
• You snooze-you win. Restful sleep is a key component of a person's overall well-being.
• Read a book. Keep your mind as sharp as possible.
• Read a label. Pay attention to the labels on the food you eat. When eating, realize that different flavor categories stimulate different brain cells. The more cell areas stimulated in a meal, the more food you need to eat to feel full. (Article explained that's why you can be full of meat and potatoes but somehow still have room for dessert.)
• Gaze at your navel. Practice tai chi, which improves flexibility and mood. Practice meditation. These are ways to improve your body's immune system.

One Easy Way to Fail

I enjoyed an article in Inc Magazine recently titled, "How Hard Could It Be?: Five Easy Ways to Fail" by Joel Spolsky. The article mentioned five reasons technology projects go wrong. In line with the message of Juggling Elephants was "Mistake No. 5: Work till midnight". Some highlights from the article are:

• "There's a whole body of literature establishing that working more hours doesn't produce software any faster. Edward Yourdon, the software entrepreneur and author, dubbed this kind of project the 'death march.'"


• "Software development takes immense intellectual effort. Even the best programmers can rarely sustain that level of effort for more than a few hours a day. Beyond that, they need to rest their brains a bit."


• "Compelling employees to spend even more hours sitting in front of a computer won't really translate into more output--or if it does, it will be the wrong kind of output."


• "Running a death march is not the only way to make a project late and a budget buster. But it is a surefire way to do so."

I think the same concepts apply to "non-programmers" as well. A lot of times we feel that if we work longer hours we will be more productive and get more done. The reality is that the law of diminishing returns applies. We need to take daily intermissions and "rest our brains a bit". We need to maintain a good performance in all the rings of our life. A good, focused, 8 hour day will deliver better results in the long run.

But I Have Four!

A recent question sent to us through our website was, "I need to know if you can apply these tactics to a four ring circus?" Here was our response:

In response to your question about if the tactics can apply to a 4 ring circus, the technical answer is.... Of course!!!

Seriously, Juggling Elephants is a parable and is written so that people can pick and choose what parts of the story are meaningful and helpful to them. If you see your life (circus) having 4 rings, the way you approach it would be the same as 3. You know you have limited resources (can't Juggle Elephants), so you have to allocate those resources where they are most needed at any given moment (i.e. Which ring should I be focusing on right now?) You're still the ringmaster and have to take control of the acts-or the circus will be running you-regardless of the number of rings. You still need the performers in every ring to be giving their best-esp. with 4 rings because it will be even harder for you to take the lead with the acts in all the rings.

Lastly, the need for an intermission would be even more critical. When I get too busy working in 1-2 rings, I often miss looking at what acts are needed in the neglected ring. With an intermission, you can step back and review the performance, and make plans for a better "next half."

What A Quote!

I heard this quote earlier this week and I thought it was so true about teachers and others who give so much to others.

A good teacher is like a burning candle. It consumes itself in order to light the way for others.

If you're an educator or someone who is always "lighting the way" for others, please take an intermission for yourself today.

Summer-The Intermission

In today's WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118912967608820227.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal), there was a follow up article to one in June where they asked people how they planned to spend their Summer Vacation. The article chronicled how well they had done in meeting their goals.

The article mirrored the way many people look at taking a break or an "intermission." Some do things to plan for the "next half" of their performance, they mentally or physically rest or they reflect on how their circus is going. When the intermission is over, they are more focused and better prepared for what's in their lineup.

Others just keep the acts going, and often wonder why their performance rarely improves.