Danish Expression of the Day: At have mange bolde i luften

An expression you're almost guaranteed to come across while perusing jobs on LinkedIn.

Directly translated, “At have mange bolde i luften” means “to have many balls in the air”. When it is used metaphorically, it means that you are able to juggle many tasks at once, often in high-stress environments.

In English the metaphors “juggling flaming torches” or “spinning plates” might be used.

Today this term is considered quite corporate, and you may associate it with scrolling through jobs on LinkedIn, as it regularly appears in job descriptions

"Having many balls in the air", or being good at juggling many tasks at once, is a highly sought-after skill.

"Lige nu har vi rigtig mange bolde i luften med både det nye produktionssystem, kundearrangementet og årsregnskabet, så vi skal huske at prioritere skarpt."

“Right now we’re juggling several tasks with the new production system, the customer event, and the annual accounts, so we need to remember to prioritise sharply."

"Jeg tror desværre ikke, jeg kan tage flere opgaver på mig i denne uge. Jeg har allerede lidt for mange bolde i luften."

“I unfortunately can’t take on any more tasks this week. I’m spinning a few too many plates as it is.”

"Jeg fatter ikke, hvordan du kan have så mange bolde i luften uden at miste overblikket!"

“I don’t understand how you can juggle so many flaming torches without losing track!”