A Guest Blog Post by Ian Sanders, author of ‘Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life’
The question ‘what do you do?’ is something many of us struggle with. An increasing number of us lack a simple one word answer to that question; we find it difficult summing up our role because we do more than one thing.
Many of us are carving out plural work lives where we juggle more than one role. Whether you work for yourself, for an employer or you’re seeking a career change, jugglers are busting the old myth that specialism rules!
Throughout our education we were always encouraged to do just one thing, to specialise in a narrow range of subjects and choose a singular trade or profession. I never liked that. So when I left school, I relished the ability to mix things up, working at a radio station, for a music business and taking a class in photography all at the same time. That gap year before I went to university was when I learnt to juggle and throughout my life, both working for organisations and for myself I have continued thinking and acting plural, juggling writing books with running a business. Advising a fashion brand one day, a rock band the next.
If you carve out a work life that reflects your multi-dimensional talents you can be more fulfilled and also more enterprising. My book Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life advocates that we bust those myths about what you should or shouldn’t do so that we can go beyond a fixed job title to create a role juggling our talents and passions.
Kevin Roberts features in my book. Kevin is CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world’s largest creative organisations, but he also blogs, writes, sits on the boards of other companies and guest lectures at business schools – there are no limits to what he does. He’s carved out a unique role driven by his passions where the ‘Work Kevin’ is the ‘Real Kevin’:
‘It all starts with knowing when you are at your best and playing there all the time. I focus on those things I’m good at and try to get world class at them. The stuff I can’t do I ask others to handle and choose people who are brilliant at it, significantly better than me at least”.
But juggling is not just for successful CEOs. Rachel is a Commercial Director at a media company 3 days a week and makes handmade jewellery the rest of the week. Dave juggles being a photographer with working in a camera shop. Sam is a sales executive, but has a web-based hobby business he runs in his spare time. In a recession, juggling can prove to be a good survival strategy; if you have more skills to offer the job market or an employer, you can be more of an asset.
So if you’re stuck in a job you don’t like, try juggling; start by reframing your role to take on a new responsibility or task. Or if you have a desire to start your own business, a recession might not be the best time to make rash decisions and quit your job but why not start your business idea in your spare time to start?
Here are 5 tips to creating a Juggle-based career:
- Be Flexible: Forget a rigid career plan, be flexible to embrace opportunities that fit with your talents and desires. Change your mindset and start thinking plural.
- Stay Focused: being a good juggler is not about being a ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. It’s about being committed and dedicated in all you do. Manage time well to deliver on all fronts.
- Shout about your talents: develop a personal brand and use social media to communicate your talents to clients, recruiters and employers.
- Be Passionate: put passion at the heart of all you do. If you love what you do, work is less of a chore.
- Go beyond a job title: carve out a unique you-role. Do it your way, be authentic. Let the Work You be The Real You.
Happy Juggling….
Ian Sanders is ‘Chief-Juggler’. He’s a writer, ideas-producer and business & marketing consultant. Ian is author of ‘Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life’ and ‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free’.
Follow him on Twitter @iansanders
Videos, blog and more information at iansanders.com
Video of Ian talking about Juggle
Change This ‘Juggle’ Manifesto
If you’d like to meet 30-40 other Jugglers in central London,
come to the monthly Scanners Night
Last year I won an international book deal (without all the usual slog that entails), wrote 70,000 words, and hit my deadline. 
What a great night January Scanners Night was!