The other day – okay, so like a month ago – I heard a new metaphor that sums up the way I hope to approach my office life.

I was told that each day, we juggle lots of balls, too many, actually. And that the mark of an effective leader was not in juggling well, but in making decisions as to which balls to drop.

It was further explained that some balls are made of glass and, of course, should not be dropped because they will break. On the other hand – or in the air as it were – some of those balls you juggle are made of rubber and will bounce. These are the balls that should be dropped every now and then to avoid breaking the others.

I am not sure why this particular metaphor has stuck with me, but it has. So much so that I refer to it almost every day to give myself perspective.

All this to say that no matter what your metaphor – I encourage you to stop and put your projects into perspective each day. Make a list, drop the rubber balls and get to work.