Juggling plates

Today is one of those insanely busy work days where even my multitasking is multitasking. I needed to give two talks — in two very different places — then race back to the lab to work with students on a deadline for tomorrow, another one for Friday, and a third one for Monday.

A day like this reminds me that I do indeed have a go-to strategy for those times when I feel that I’m juggling too many plates at once (speaking metaphorically). It goes something like this:

When I start to realize that I’m trying to keep too many plates in the air at the same time, I often give in to the temptation to look up. Of course when I do this, what I see is a whole lot of plates coming down toward me.

In that moment, I know exactly what to do. I quickly look around, find a brand new plate, and fling it up in the air.

It works like a charm. That said, your mileage may vary.

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