Okay, let me walk you through this whole thing I went through. Some folks might hear a title like that and get all sorts of ideas, but my experience was, well, different. More messy than anything else.
My Little Adventure in Triple Trouble
It all kicked off last spring. I was feeling ambitious, maybe a bit greedy, I dunno. Ended up saying yes to three things at once. Not people, thankfully, but projects. Big ones. Each felt like a whole relationship on its own, needing time, attention, you know the drill.
Project Alpha: This one was the demanding type. Needed constant updates, check-ins, felt like it wanted to be my only focus. High maintenance, really.
Project Beta: This was the tricky one. Looked simple on the surface, but had all these hidden complexities. Every time I thought I had a handle on it, something new popped up. Sneaky.
Project Gamma: Total chaos agent. Unpredictable deadlines, shifting requirements. Exciting in a way, but absolutely draining. You never knew what you were gonna get day-to-day.
Juggling the Beast
So there I was, trying to keep all three happy. My days started early, ended late. Felt like I was constantly switching hats, trying to remember who needed what and when. Made myself schedules, lists, used all the apps you can think of. Tried to be super organized.
- Mondays and Wednesdays were for Alpha.
- Tuesdays and Thursdays for Beta.
- Fridays were supposed to be for Gamma, but Gamma often spilled into the weekends, demanding attention whenever it felt like it.
It was tough. Really tough. Started missing emails. Sent a report meant for Alpha to Beta once. Embarrassing. My brain felt like scrambled eggs. I wasn’t giving my best to any of them, felt like I was letting everyone down, including myself. Sleep? What was sleep? Eating properly? Nah, coffee and quick snacks were my fuel. It wasn’t sustainable. I was burning out fast.
The Breakup and Moving On
Something had to give. After a particularly bad week where everything seemed to go wrong, I sat down and had a real hard think. This “threesome” wasn’t working. It wasn’t love, it was just pure stress. I realized I had to break up with one of them.
Decided to drop Project Beta. It was the one causing the most unexpected headaches, the one sucking up time with hidden issues. It hurt a bit, felt like failure, but man, the relief was almost instant. Suddenly, I could breathe again.
Finished up Alpha and Gamma, though Gamma was still a wild ride right to the end. Did okay, clients were reasonably happy, but I knew I hadn’t done my absolute best work.
What I learned? Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Seriously. Ambition is fine, but not when it runs you into the ground. Trying to juggle too many demanding things just means you do none of them well. Now, I stick to one main focus, maybe a small side thing if it’s manageable. Learned that lesson the hard way. No more project threesomes for me. It’s just not worth the chaos.
