What Joanna Cassidy Can Teach Us about Juggling #atozchallenge

Let’s get something clear first – I’m no professional juggler. I’m also willing to bet that you aren’t a juggling phenomenon who tosses multiple balls around at once, while catching each of them, either.

Arlee Bird, founder of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, is the only person I know so far who has the skills and history of touring acts to literally juggle it all. So, why do the rest of us keep pretending we’re some type of paid performance artist who can toss -- and catch -- everything that falls into our hands?

You may not be handling balls or clubs per se, like Arlee Bird, but you’re still trying to juggle the variables that make up your daily routine. I do it too. We all do it. Everywhere I turn, there’s somebody tossing around things, readjusting schedules, overlapping tasks – ahhh, the sweet smell of the multi-tasking life where everything is a blur and he or she is just trying to get through the day. We’re juggling PTA meetings, play dates, traffic tickets, gym memberships, part-time jobs, Facebook status updates, Twitter streams, active sex lives, thriving careers, social calendars, home repairs, grocery lists, and mid-term exams and so on.

The juggling act that we try to pull off reminds me of a teenager named Sue Ellen in the comedy “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” (one of my favorite childhood movies) starring Christina Applegate and Joanna Cassidy. In this movie, Sue Ellen lands a high-level corporate job after falsifying her resume to pass as an adult. She finds ways to cover the living expenses for herself and four younger siblings while their mom is away on vacation. This girl soon realizes how the demands of adulthood are not always as fun as they may seem when she finds herself spread thin between work and family life.

All the while, she also tries to keep up the facade of being “on top of it” all but faces a lot of trouble down the line.

At the same time, she’s maintaining a romantic relationship with a former co-worker and playing pseudo-mommy to her siblings – complete with enforcing rules and trying to carve out quality time for the needs of each one.

The instructions that Sue Ellen’s boss, Rose Lindsey – played by actress Joanna Cassidy, gave her for doing her job well at their company, is the exact way that we should approach juggling:

“Don’t feel overwhelmed, just do one thing at a time.”

As easy as Cassidy’s line sounds, you’d think that we would’ve adopted this way of living, already. The fast paced world we operate in, however, isn’t exactly conducive to a one-thing-at-a-time philosophy. To many people, that’s not the way to get things done, but rather, a way to get left behind. It’s a funny thing about juggling – if you have more balls than you can handle at once, you’re bound to drop some. Now, how’s that for a halfway approach to getting things done! Rose Lindsey a.k.a Joanna Cassidy is on to something with how she told Sue Ellen to handle this new executive assistant position in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s dead.” I think that something is not only doing one thing at once but also the importance of prioritizing.

If you believe in living each day like it’s the last one you’ll ever have, let’s make these days count by doing the things that are most important to you. The other stuff can get done whenever they get done.

Maybe there will be time for it later, maybe it won’t, but I’ll tell you one thing -- most people who are terminally ill or already on their deathbed probably don’t make statements like “I’m so glad that I just finished that load of laundry this morning,” “I’m at peace because my hurried trip to the carwash was time well spent after running that red light a few roads back” or “I can rest now that I’ve made it to my lunchtime nail salon appointment.”

Granted, this is not a classic movie quote of epic proportions that goes down in history as the greatest line ever spoken in a scene. My hope is that you’ll take it for what it’s worth – a simple and effective approach to juggling all of the balls that life hands us as well as the balls that we willingly pick up, as if we already don’t have a full load to toss.

What are YOU juggling right now?

Do YOU prioritize your activities or are YOU just going through the motions, trying to keep your head above water?

Comments

[Bradley Charbonneau]

The only way I can get anything done is if I only do one thing at a time. It often means turning off email, not answering the phone and not allowing myself to use other programs, go to other sites, or do anything other than what I'm doing. It works, as long as I can stick to it. But it's hard.

A colleague prides himself on being a multi-tasker. But talk to him on the phone and he's not really there. Even in the work he does, he makes mistakes and misses, well, the point sometimes. He doesn't listen well. In short, he's not a very good multi-tasker.

Maybe he should ... "Just do one thing at a time.”

Bradley Charbonneau's Pass the Sour Cream A-Z Challenge.

[Cath]

Oh man, what am I not juggling at this point? I'm a teacher. I am participating in a mentorship program to get my Instructional II certificate. My son is having trouble at school and so I'm in a nice battle with the administrators. I'm involved in community theatre and our show goes up next week. CamNaNo. Online Life.

One thing at a time. It's the only way I can survive. I prioritize and go with it.

On a more positive note, I love that movie. It definitely has been a guilty pleasure ever since childhood.

Cath from Dramatics and Words

[J M Filipowicz]

I remember that movie! That takes me back. I agree, do one thing at a time and prioritize. And no procrastinating!!!

[Imogen Elvis]

Juggling. That's my life at the moment. I'm juggling A-Z, April Camp NaNoWriMo, two major assignments for uni, one due next week, music exam preparation, and family time, as they're all on holiday except me. I'm attempting the 'one thing at a time', but with so much going on, it just gets harder and harder.

[Kristen Dyrr]

I was never very good at juggling, in any form. :) I do set priorities, and I have lists, but I have a heck of a time doing the things on the list that I really hate doing. They become like a block, and hold up the whole thing.

#atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com