too many balls in the air

An allusion to the situation of a juggler who is attempting to juggle an excessive number of objects.

• "[Prime Minister] Harold Macmillan frequently complained of having to keep too many balls in the air at the same time."
• "Some analysts say the mediocre performance of the asset-allocation funds may result from the massive amounts of data their managers must sort through: central bank policies, business cycles, stock values, inflation rates and sector performance in various markets, both here and abroad. They may simply have "too many balls in the air at one time," said Anthony J. Ogorek."
• "If you get too many balls in the air, or are changing your focus too often, as one might argue President Clinton did in his first term, people have a hard time staying with you, much less following your leadership."
• ""He has too many balls in the air. He can't stay on top of initiatives from people who report to him. He's a terrible manager.""

• irons in the fire
• on one's plate

• spin plates
• wear too many hats