And so the SMS confirmation is sent. You have booked in Sean for dinner and a movie on Wednesday night.

This follows a gym session on Tuesday night, which you need to work off the dinner you had with Mark on Monday night. And then there are drinks at a cosy little place in Prahran you’ve planned with Chris for Thursday night.

Buskers get money thrown at them for juggling knives, fire and small fluffy dogs so you technically could make a fortune juggling all these guys at once.

The art of juggling has been passed down through the generations. Perhaps you are between relationships and you just want to see what’s out there before you settle down again. You figure you might as well try out a few guys to see how they fit. No fuss, no muss.

Juggling is simple and pretty logical – and there’s not much explaining necessary. Essentially, it’s dating various men at the same time and not committing to any of them. You’re technically a free agent as long as you don’t commit to being exclusive.

There are some obvious rules to juggling. You can’t double book on the same night, and definitely avoid having two dates on the same night as you may run overtime on the first. Sticking to the guidelines will make sure you keep all your options open.

Also, never say the wrong name at the wrong time. If you do accidentally slip up and you both notice, quickly cover yourself by saying, “Yes I must call them, thank you for reminding me” then hurry them along into another avenue of conversation. The excuse of having a bad memory can get you out of most awkward date moments (oh, and ‘I’ve got to go and feed my cat’ is a classic – keep it in the vault).

If you are getting confused as to when and what time you are seeing which guy then you are juggling too many at the one time. Only take on as many as you can handle. Too many cooks will spoil your broth – and mess up the bed. It is exhausting and you are bound to run into them when you’re out, and that will quickly turn into an awkward situation.

Again, blame your memory.

So juggle away but as soon as you want to start something serious, it’s time to stop. A good juggler knows when to stop, otherwise all the balls land on the floor and someone ends up sad.  

by KLINTON PORTER