Balancing or Juggling?

by Danny Summers

It's Spring and that time of the year when you have more things to do than minutes in a day. It certainly is a balancing act. Without being there in person, it is difficult for anyone else to have a real understanding of what it's like. Maybe the easiest way to explain to anyone outside the Garden Center is ... the average Garden Center receives about 70% of their annual business in a 12-week period. That's 70% in 23% of the time (like 4 quarts in a 2-quart jar)!

Hopefully for you, most of the time, it feels like a balancing act. That is a steady position on the balance beam, one foot over the next. Or just like the image above, both hands steadily holding onto both balls equally.

But when you add more balls than you have hands it becomes a juggling act and the tension level can begin to rise. At this point, you begin to make quick decisions on prioritizing the level of importance of each ball. If you could you would have them all handled but there's just not enough time (or hands).

Your best option is to prioritize each ball (or task). Obviously, you must care for the most important first. In juggling balls, certainly, the most valuable or fragile ones must come first. Followed by the middle-ground and then least fragile or expensive. Some of these won't be hurt or damaged (or missed) if they hit the ground but the most important ones are the ones you must focus on or prioritize.

This message reminds me of one of John Kennedy's very best videos... By the Numbers - Time Management - 5 Things to Focus On. I'm confident this can help you in your balancing act!

The more organized and delegating you can be, the more this will look like a balancing act and not a juggling act.

I have often used the image here to illustrate what we don't want you to look like this spring... a one-man band!

Organize, delegate and have a great spring!