Plate Spinners...What's working for you?!

[ashlee]

Any plate spinner scanners want to share what's working for them now? For me, I've always, always been a plate spinner and I know I thrive like that, long before I read Refuse to Choose.

My issue is the last few years have been HADES for us as a family, so my burnout is pretty high...which makes it tough to even get out of bed, workout and shower without needing a nap, let alone doing my normal plate spinning ways. BUT that feeling of "dying on the vine" is absolutely there, and just makes the burnout feeling even worse!

I know 3-4 projects/"hats to wear" is ideal for me, especially work-wise. I'm an entrepreneur so that already means wearing a lot of "sub hats" so too many business projects is too much, but I just can't shake that "dying on the vine" feeling!!

Any ideas? What's working for you as a plate spinner?

[alexg]

Hello, fellow Plate Spinner! When everything around me is falling to pieces, I try to switch to spinning paper plates: generating ideas and writing them up, while I do real work on just one project at a time.

[ashlee]

Alex, what a wonderful way to put it! I think sometimes my "Paper plates" end up being counting life stuff, like running dreaded errands that must be done, as "big action" even when they don't always feel like it. Especially at times when I'm not at my usual "high caliber" self.

[Elaine Glimme]

Hi, Ashlee,

I'm not a scanner, but I can identify with family issues and burnout.

For my two cents, be really kind to yourself. You're not dying on the vine - you're just hibernating. Spring will come again. I like Alex's comment about spinning paper plates. Do as much or as little scanning as feels comfortable. Maybe a tiny scanner-type burst every now and then if you can manage it - just to know you're still in the game.

Good luck. We're rooting for you.

[SquarePeg]

This caught my eye...

...tough to even get out of bed, workout and shower without needing a nap...

It makes me wonder if there's some medical reason for what's going on, in addition to the family issues. I've had mornings exactly like that, and on a few of those I didn't get up from that nap until the afternoon, and did I mention these were work days?

Whether healthy or not, it sounds like there's a great deal of stress in your life. Remember that working out also puts stress on your body, and maybe it's too much for you right now. Do your workouts invigorate you? Or do they wear you out even more? If the latter, you might consider switching to a less strenuous workout, swimming instead of jogging, for example. Or consider shorter workouts and put that extra time toward more sleep if that would work for you.

You could go to a doctor for a checkup. That would be the logical advice to dole out at this point. But my opinion of doctors is justifiably at an all-time low....

[Elaine Glimme]

IMHO there are good doctors and bad doctors, and, more to the point, there are doctors who are compatible with you and some who aren't. I truly disliked my doctor, and I realized that, as I was getting a bit more mature (ahem) ,things were likely to go wrong with my body, and I needed a doctor I could talk to.

A friend recommended the doctor I have now. yes, she's good. I prefer a natural approach - herbals, acupuncture, etc., and she's comfortable with it. And sometimes natural doesn't work, and that's when I need an MD.

[SquarePeg]

My wife's primary care doctor is amazingly good. But my wife still suffers while all the tests come back negative.

[Elaine Glimme]

Here's to good things happening, Square Peg, for your wife to be free of pain, and for my hip to be fixed.

Ashlee, Your post had so much enthusiasm to it. Just the topic - plate spinner - sounds so high energy, I imagine the juggler running around keeping all those plates on top of their poles. I hope your energy is back, you're over your burnout, and you're spinning stuff. That's what I'm hoping.