Becoming A Better Juggler

When someone asks me what I do for a living, as an entrepreneur, I should respond, “I’m a juggler.” Like all small-business owners, I’m busily dealing with one critical task after another—sales, new product development, customer service, human resources, finance, marketing, more. While it’s a challenge to keep all the different balls in the air, learning to juggle successfully is a vital skill if you’re not going to have anything in your business come crashing down.

My own need to improve my “juggling” ability has taken on particular importance since I have (over)scheduled two back-to-back business trips. The first week, I’m going to four cities in four days, and the next week, I’m going to four cities in six days — with multiple meetings on each day. That might not be so bad if I was focused on doing just one thing. But I’m constantly switching roles. In the morning, I’m working with a partner on new products, then I’m having lunch with a big account, then I’m having an afternoon meeting with our sales reps.

Lots of balls in the air. Lots of possibilities to drop some of them. Sound like your life as a small -business owner? You may not be flying around the country, but you’re still dealing with customer problems, hiring employees, managing your finances, and oh yes, actually doing the work or making the products your customers pay for. Even if you’re like me, with a large amount of energy, let’s face it, there’s only so much attention span any of us can have.

So how do you learn to become a better juggler of all the responsibilities that you face?

Cut something out. As entrepreneurs, we want to do it all and we want to do it all now. Enough! Sometimes, something has to go. You’re almost certainly trying to do too much.

Prioritize and develop a plan. But how do you know what to cut out? It’s easier to know what things are critical to your business if you’ve developed a strategic business plan. While it may not help you figure out which phone call to take, having a clear direction for where you want your business to go will help you decide whether you want to work on new products or hire new people or change your operations. I recommend an annual business plan for every business of any size.

Delegate. Being in charge doesn’t mean that you have to do everything yourself. Learn how to hand off responsibilities to others and then don’t micromanage! Hire additional help if you’re truly overwhelmed.

Add “breathing time” in your day. If you have a big meeting to land an important customer, for instance, set aside a few hours before so you can clear your brain rather than rushing to meet them, frantically thinking about a problem in the shipping department.

Make notes ahead of time. Because you’re juggling so many things, it’s easy to forget what you wanted to talk about or deal with at any given time. For those things that are important, create an “agenda” even if you never share it with anyone else, so you have a written reminder before you walk into the meeting.

Recognize: being busy isn’t the same as being important. I know people who feel that if their phone isn’t ringing, then they’re not doing enough. It’s OK if there are no messages for you when you call in to the office. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not important. Ideally, it reflects the fact that you’ve empowered others to handle day-to-day matters, so you don’t have to.

With a bit of planning and practice, you too can become a better “juggler” of the many responsibilities you face.

Rhonda Abrams is the author of “Six-Week Start-Up” and “What Business Should I Start?”