Rubber or Glass
A quiz to prioritization
People often ask me about my work life balance and it’s usually met with some kind of eye roll, pfft, snarkastic response on my behalf. And for that, I do apologize. It’s just that I’ve never been very good at finding that balance and it’s mostly because I like it that way. But that really isn’t practical or sustainable for most (sane) humans, so let’s chat about it a sec.
Life is a juggling act—-We’re constantly tossing tasks, our business responsibilities, and relationships into the air, trying to keep them all in motion. But here’s the thing—not all the balls we juggle are the same. Some are made of rubber—they’ll bounce back if we drop them. Others are made of glass—fragile, precious, and much harder to repair if they fall.
The trick to managing your life isn’t juggling them all perfectly—it’s knowing which balls are rubber and which are glass.
The Rubber Balls
Rubber balls represent the tasks and obligations that might feel urgent but aren’t critical in the grand scheme of things. Think:
Responding to non-urgent emails. (yes, even the ones marked URGENT from your agent aren’t actually urgent)
Cleaning out your inbox.
A hobby that can wait a week.
That pile of laundry
If you drop these, they’ll bounce. You can pick them up later without significant damage to your life or goals.
The Glass Balls
Glass balls are the irreplaceable priorities. These could include:
Your health.
Key relationships (partner, family, close friends).
Deadlines that directly impact your career or finances.
Scheduling time for yourself.
When you drop a glass ball, the consequences are harder to recover from. Think of missing a critical client meeting, neglecting your health, or damaging trust in a close relationship.
Prioritization
Prioritizing is an act of mindfulness—taking a moment to assess which balls you’re juggling and determining which ones you can safely let drop for now. I know we fancy ourselves super-people, and we ARE. But part of maintaining that superness is accurately identifying areas of opportunity.
The good news is you can train yourself to quickly identify the rubber from the glass.
Here’s the first step: take the quiz below to evaluate how well you’re identifying your priorities and managing your juggling act.
Quiz: Are you juggling rubber or glass?
Section 1: Understanding your priorities
When you’re overwhelmed, how do you decide what to tackle first?
A) I focus on what feels most urgent.
B) I focus on what feels most important in the long term.
C) I just start with whatever is easiest to complete.
If you have a deadline for work and a sick friend needs support, what do you do?
A) Prioritize the deadline but check in with my friend briefly.
B) Skip the deadline and focus on my friend entirely.
C) Try to juggle both, even if it means neither gets my full attention.
Section 2: Dropping balls
How do you react when you realize you’ve missed something non-critical?
A) I feel guilty and obsess over how I could’ve prevented it.
B) I acknowledge it but move forward without too much stress.
C) I’m so busy I didn’t even notice—it’s not that important to me.
How often do you feel like everything you’re juggling is a "glass ball"?
A) All the time—I can’t drop anything!
B) Sometimes—it depends on the week.
C) Rarely—I know how to let go of what doesn’t matter.
Section 3: Practical application
Do you regularly reassess your commitments to identify what’s truly essential to your growth?
A) Not often—I tend to stick with my current priorities.
B) Occasionally—when I feel overwhelmed, I reflect.
C) Regularly—I make time to check in with myself.
When an unexpected task lands in your lap, how do you respond?
A) Take it on immediately—I don’t want to disappoint anyone.
B) Assess its urgency and importance before committing.
C) Ignore it—it’s probably not important.
Results:
Mostly A’s: The Overcommitted Juggler
You’re treating almost everything like a glass ball, which leads to burnout. Start practicing saying no to non-essential tasks and identify where you can let things bounce.
Mostly B’s: The Balanced Juggler
You’re mindful about prioritizing but could benefit from a more intentional approach. Regularly review your commitments to ensure you’re not holding on to unnecessary rubber balls.
Mostly C’s: The Minimalist Juggler
You’ve mastered the art of letting go. (Move over Snow Queen) However, make sure you’re not dismissing something important by mistake. Even the minimalist juggler has glass balls to handle with care.
Just remember, life is never perfectly balanced because perfection doesn’t exist and the goal isn’t perfection. But by identifying the glass and rubber balls in your life, you can focus on what truly matters—without losing your sanity.
What are the glass balls you’re juggling right now? Share your thoughts in the comments, or better yet, reply with how you plan to let a rubber ball bounce today. It’s kinda nice watching it bounce away sometimes.
Great advice.