An Extra Hour For Your Lineup

There were some interesting findings in a regular feature of Reader's Digest. In It's Around The World article it asked people from around the world, "What would you do with an extra hour?" Some of the results were:

• Spain: 50% would use it for family time
• Turkey: 41% would exercise
• Germany: 37% would sleep
• India: 50% would work another hour at their job

In the US the results were:

• 37% Family Time
• 32% Sleep
• 23% Exercise
• 9% Work

What is even more intriguing is how obtainable an hour could be for many people. Get up 15 minutes earlier, take 15 minutes less for lunch, cut out 15 minutes of web surfing or TV viewing and you already have 45 minutes. Send a couple less e mails and text messages and you are approaching the coveted hour.

The key is being a good ringmaster and making the best use of your discretionary time to make these moments a reality-regardless of how you plan to spend it. What would YOU do with an extra hour-and what are you willing to change to make it a reality.

The Single Parent As Ringmaster

If ever there was anyone who comes close to being able to actually juggle elephants, it would have to be the single parent. They are quite simply amazing in their ability to maintain their job, take care of a family and sometimes even squeeze out a few moments for themselves.

At a recent training program I met another one of these incredible ringmasters who was struggling with their "wide open" circus. In our discussion after the program we talked about a number of strategies to attempt to help them run their circus a little more smoothly. They included:

Work Ring

• Leverage every resource to make your job more manageable. Whether technology, work schedule or people. Be willing to ask if additional resources are available if you feel like you are drowning.

Relationship Ring

• Carve out a dedicated block of time to spend with a child or children each week. Even if it's only 30 minutes. Guard it with your life. Make it something they (and you) look forward to, and turn off the mobile phone or Blackberry. Don't overlook the morning hours. A quality sit-down breakfast may nurture more than the body.

Self Ring

• Recognize you desperately need that "me" time to rejuvenate your own energy. By taking a moment or two for yourself, you will actually be making yourself a better parent and employee.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to engage the other performers in your circus to assist you.

Accelerated Irrelevance

What a pungent phrase! A recent review of the "Big 3" automakers in the United States used the phrase "accelerated irrelevance" in describing how the industry had reached it's current poor state of affairs. I think it could aptly apply to how many of us move through our day, week and sometimes, our very lives.

The phrase brings to mind the idea of moving more quickly away from what is relevant or important. It means choices made that are not grounded in a person (or industry's) purpose or mission statement. It is shaky ground to say the least.

Think about the last choice you made that moved you quickly away from what was more important. Was it an unimportant task you took on at home? How about a management decision you made at work that not only took you away from what was relevant, but it also propelled the people on your team in the same direction as well? One poor choice led to another until you were on a fast track to nowhere-nowhere important to be more specific.

The antithesis of the phrase is even more interesting: "Accelerated relevance." What choices could you make today that would move you more quickly back to what is important? Remember, we are all working and living at a breakneck pace-but in what direction (and how quickly) are we moving?

Work/Life Balance Is Up To You!

Yahoo Hot Jobs has a timely article on creating a better "work-life balance." The biggest statement came early in the article when it stated, "Finding balance is largely up to employees, rather than employers." With the focus on you, read the article by clicking here.

What Is The Juggle Costing You?

The first line of the article said it all: A couple going on a European vacation remembered to take their duty-free purchases and their 18 suitcases, but forgot their 3-year-old daughter at the airport. Read the entire article by clicking here.

Apparently they were late for a flight, and in the rush to the gate they forgot to check to make sure they had all five of their children. The good news is that the child was safely flown to meet them on the next flight. Scary moments.

A comment by one of the grandmothers really got my attention. She said, "We're in shock. They're very responsible and organized, top-notch people." Let's review-they left their child at an airport and flew to another country! While it would be so easy to just scream at the parents, I have to wonder-how many well-intentioned people have made some really poor choices because they were just working or living at such a breakneck "juggling elephants" speed.

How many good employees have left an organization because their manager or supervisor was just too occupied with "busy work" to respond to their needs. I'll bet there are a ton of individuals who have abandoned their life's passion because they were too busy with the daily rush of life. And yes, all too often, we see children or spouses get left behind in some way because someone was focusing too much on the "wrong ring."

What is your "rush to the gate" routine costing you? Some things are just too important to be lost.