Juggling Elephants – How to get things done! [Book by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig]

“There are so many things trying to consume our time and energy. Don’t you sometimes feel like the demands are going to squash you?” Sounds familiar?

Greetings all!

I started this post with an excerpt from the book “Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Big, Most important Things Done – Now!” - and what a quick, enjoyable, and useful read!

It is the story of Mark who has “too much to do, too many priorities, too much stress, and too little time.” Mark says, “There is so much to get done that I just can’t seem to give any one area of my life the attention it deserves. Just when I think I’ve made progress by getting one elephant in motion, two more drop to the ground.” Recognize anyone?!

Image from https://www.jugglingelephants.com/

A reluctant visit to the circus with his family, a chance conversation with a wise circus ringmaster, the AHA! Moment – all of this and more is in this lighthearted parable on how to balance the most important things in your life (the typical rings being self, work, and relationship).

Our life might seem like a circus with multiple performances going on simultaneously. We all have important things – some big, some small – that we are constantly juggling. The book gives great tips on “how to run your circus instead of letting the circus run you.”

Here are my favorite book's lessons:

The ringmaster (My note - that's YOU!!!):

• The ringmaster has the greatest impact on the success of the circus.
• The ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at once.
• The ringmaster always reviews the next act before bringing it into the ring.

The acts:

• I need to figure out which ring should I be in at this moment.
• I need to decide what acts I should be focusing on right now.
• Not all acts belong in my circus.
• All acts need to fulfill my purpose.
• The key to the success of the circus is having quality acts in all three rings.
• I need to maintain my efficiency and effectiveness by scheduling major acts at different times.

The performers (My note - that's other important players!!!):

• The relationship between the ringmaster and the performers affects the success of the circus.
• Every member is important and has to be fully engaged on the right acts to make the team successful.
• Constantly offer positive reinforcement for good behavior and consistently give constructive feedback for negative behavior.
• People sometimes need to laugh, relax, and not take themselves so seriously.

Intermission:

• What have you done to improve your performance in one or more of your rings?
• Your circus is only as good as your next performance.
• Intermission is an essential part of creating a better circus performance. 

I loved the book! I found the two questions below very helpful in the balancing act:

1. Does this act belong in my circus?
2. When should this act appear?

What did you think? Drop me a line and “let the performance begin!”