Breathe

Ah, the stress of management. Projects with intense deadlines piling up, internal conflict, external conflict, sales down, bills not being paid on time, people not returning your calls/emails - the intensity of managing any group of people or body of work can get your blood flowing and your head spinning.

Seems I have two more common & immediate reactions to the crunch. Either...

1. I get myself pumped up with adrenaline and just start moving. This feels like the catalyst to pull you through the trench. But just like a caffeine boost or a sugar rush - its temporary. WARNING: burn-out will eventually ensue.
   
   
2. If not adrenaline, the fear of keeping it all in the air will hit me like a punch in the gut and completely paralyze me from any action. WARNING: this is a fast track to a pink slip.
   

Both are polar extremes.

I find the best, 1st action is to just stop for a second and take a breather.

Yeah, pretty cheesy sounding. But even so, this is what we juggling managers need to do. Stop moving forward, stop trying to consider all the fear-inducing possibilities of failure. Stop thinking about it all. Take a minute, see all of the things before you and all the things you're afraid of, accept them, and then just breathe for a second.

Only after pausing first should you let yourself think about it - but even then it should just be in terms of what really needs to get done right now. Then come up with your plan of what you've got to work on first, second, tomorrow, etc. And don't forget about help. You need it - don't be afraid to ask for it.

Now its time to move forward - but not with the adrenaline "hyper-action" or the fearful "no-action". Instead, you've accepted the worst, you've asked for help, and you've got some form of a plan.

Happy Juggling.