Biting Off More than You Can Chew

I can remember when the gum, Bubble Yum was introduced in 1975 by LifeSavers.  Prior to that, as a young man, I wasn't a big bubble gum customer.  But, when Bubble Yum came out, I was hooked.  It was the first soft bubble gum made and came in big, thick, flavorful pieces.

One day as a little leaguer, I bought a pack at the baseball diamond "snack shack" just before a game.  Now, I had watched a number of "big league" games and had noticed that "big league players" always chewed a wad of what I naively thought was bubble gum.  So wanting to be like them, I unwrapped the whole pack of Bubble Yum and shoved each piece in my mouth.  Well, the results weren't pretty.  I had a hard time talking, I was drooling bubble gum juice down the front of my uniform, my jaw hurt and eventually my Mom walked over to the dugout (much to my embarrassment) and told me to spit my gum out because I looked like, "a cow chewing its cud."

"Biting off more than you can chew" when it comes to taking on too many tasks, assignments, goals, etc. can be disastrous as well.  It is easy to confuse all the things that you "can do" with all the things that you "should do" or better yet that you "choose to do."  You can't juggle elephants!  It is impossible.  You need to be selective with what you take on and where you put your focus since you have limited time and resources.  Focus on the important things and don't blow it – pun intended.

Uninterrupted Time

With so much to do and so many opportunities, you might feel like you are constantly jumping from one activity to another.  It also seems like every 30 seconds or so there is a beep, ring, whirl, or interruption that begs for your attention.  One might argue that this is the working and living environment that we now live in - so you just have to deal with it.  The challenge then becomes, when do you get the real work done?  In some jobs, it is a full time job to just manage email.  Unfortunately, you have other responsibilities too.

In this day and age, it is vital to carve out time where there are no interruptions and that you can focus on accomplishing the things that matter most to you.  This environment must be clutter free.  In this environment you should be able to turn off the devices and notifications and concentrate.  It might not be realistic to be in this environment all day long, but you should schedule time in your day where you can think and focus on what it is you need to accomplish.  At first you might have trouble focusing because you are so use to jumping from one urgent thing to another.  But, with a little time and practice, you will be able to think more clearly and with that will come improved quality to your work.

Better Solutions Come Through Intermissions

Peter Bregman affirms the value of an intermission in his post at the Harvard Business Review entitled, In Tough Situations, Unplug and Wait. Our favorite line from the post is:

By taking yourself out of the situation, you allow your brain to rest so that when you return — with a fresh perspective and a calm mind — you are more likely to find a new solution.

Read the entire post by clicking here.

Wrap Up Your Day

How do you finish your day at work? If you are like most, you realize that it is time to leave, so you clear off your desk, log off your computer and head out the door. When it is time to go to bed, how do you wrap things up at the end of the day? Maybe something similar to leaving work? Clear off the bed, read a little and then off to sleep?

Consider taking the last 15 minutes of your workday andbefore you go to bed to take inventory of what you accomplished and plan forthose things that you need to do tomorrow. Even go so far as blocking out the time on your calendar and setting a "reminder" to stop, review and plan.

The benefits of taking the time will surprise you. You will find that you are able to more readily "leave things at work" because you have a plan for how youwill tackle your tasks tomorrow. You may also find that you will sleep better because you have "dotted the 'I’s' and crossed the 'T's'" of what needs to get done tomorrow in your relationship and personal "rings." Closing out the day atwork and home allows you to clear your head and get the much needed "intermission" that we all need.

First vs. Important

While perusing the news a few days ago, I saw an article about Iowa's place in the political landscape. The author of the article (not me) made the comment that Iowa was important because it was first not first because it was important. Again, I am not about to wade into a conversation about the validity or lack of basis for his comment, but it did cause me to think about how many people approach the acts in their circus.

What if, before you took on your first task, you thought to yourself, "Am I tackling this because it is important or because it is first? Too often we take on something because it is first in our mind, first in our lineup or first in someone else's priorities. It may be the first thing that seems easy on our list or the first item that won't cause us to have to do something outside our comfort zone. Sometimes "first" and "important" may be synomous, but many times they are miles apart.

My hunch is that if we all spent more of our time on the important, we'd get more of the things done that would make our circus more successful.