Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Most Important Things Done--Now! (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Todd Musig (Author) "Mark smiled..." (more)
Key Phrases: juggling elephants, self ring, professional ring, Get Your Programs, The Heart of the Circus, Setting Up the Tent (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this fun parable written by corporate trainers Loflin and Musig, the hero, Mark, gets more than just an afternoon of family time out of a visit to the circus with his daughter—he gets a new way of organizing his life. Using the extended metaphor of the three-ring circus, this short volume is written as a dialogue between Mark and his ringmaster mentor, who teaches him how to better coordinate the activities happening in each ring. Readers who take themselves too seriously might have trouble getting past the large print, circus illustrations and a dialogue style more commonly found in children's books. But the book passes along several circus maxims that easily translate to balancing professional and personal relationships as well as one's personal pursuits, such as the ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at once and the key to the success of the circus is having quality acts in all three rings. While the advice is not new, the presentation helps it stick in your head, increasing the odds of keeping your act together. (Sept. 6)
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Review

“A very useful, lighthearted way to balance the most important things in your work and life’s circus.”
—Spencer Johnson, M.D., author of Who Moved My Cheese?

“If your life is so hectic it feels like a three-ring circus, read this book. It will teach you how to set priorities, relax, and enjoy the show!”
—Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and The On-Time, On-Target Manager

“Juggling Elephants is a fresh approach to becoming the master of your life. The authors show how to take control of your own personal circus, identify and master your priorities, become more productive and thus achieve greater results in all of your endeavors.”
—Hyrum Smith, cofounder of FranklinCovey and CEO of Galileo Initiative

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (September 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591841712
• ISBN-13: 978-1591841715
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #68,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting Your Act Together, September 6, 2007

By	Miranda N. Brothers (Vancouver, Washington) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With a heartwarming approach to the all too common problem of how to manage a hectic life, Jones Loflin and Todd Musig have successfully collaborated to present a workable solution in their easy to digest and retain, Juggling Elephants. Recognizing that sometimes life is like a circus, the authors offer the memorable story of Mark who, using the three ring circus analogy, rediscovers his family, free time, and in the end, himself, again.
This gem, with its rejuvenating story, likable characters, and attractive presentation, culminate in, what I am sure will be, a much respected and well utilized tool across both the professional and personal realms and adopted as a "must read" throughout the business spectrum.
Kudos to Loflin and Musig for their creative solution and efforts to help others succeed in life.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT for Busy Moms!, September 27, 2007

By	merinda Charles (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

How I wish I could have read this book 20 years ago! But as they say "It's never too late!" Organizing your life into "circus rings" is easy to do when you think of it like that - and especially if you live with some clowns :) This is an easy-read and a wonderful book for busy women who need to visualize our lives into small, manageable pieces that put our priorities in order and bring peace and contentment in today's crazy and out-of-control world!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ever think your life is a 3 ring circus? Here is a way to become your own ringmaster., September 15, 2007

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I think that these kinds of business parables sell well to a certain audience because the images are so easy to remember and are fun to visualize. It doesn't matter that they always seem to follow a the pattern of someone being out of control in some aspect of the business, their life, or whatever and they meet some mysterious stranger who gives them the KEY that solves their problem and gets their life back in order.

This story is about a man whose daughter comes to him with her life in disarray. She can't manage her work life, her family life, and her personal life. He talks with her about how going to the circus with her helped him with the same problem. We often refer to something in a crazy and disordered state as a three-ring circus. However, a circus is really a very ordered system of acts. This is often NOT true of our lives.

The title of the book refers to the situation when we are out of control. Trying to juggle elephants doesn't help anyone. You can't do it, the elephants aren't having any fun, and the audience isn't enjoying an act going nowhere. So, Victor, a ringmaster Mark (the dad) happens to meet guides him through the steps of becoming the ring master of his life and the three rings being Work, Family, and Self. The ideas presented are really quite good and the images are memorable. If you are already in complete control of your life, you probably don't need this book. However, most of us could use some time thinking about these issues and this is a pretty painless to entertaining way of considering what it takes to get the right acts on stage when.

A simple, helpful little book.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI