Fig.: to engage in too many activities at the same time

You can't possibly think of going on vacation for a whole month. You have too many irons in the fire at the office and you can't drop everything like that

Non puoi assolutamente pensare di andare in vacanza per un mese intero. Hai troppa carne al fuoco in ufficio e non puoi mollare tutto così

Why are you so surprised about some of your failures? You had too many things on the stove and you got burned!

Perché ti stupisci dei tuoi fallimenti? Hai messo troppa carne al fuoco e ne hai bruciata un bel po’!

I have the chance to start working in the entertainment industry right away with a very exciting position, which is something I would really like to do, but at the same time I would need to take my final university exams, write my thesis, and defend it. I'm afraid of having too many things cooking and not being able to do either thing well

Ho l'opportunità di entrare da subito nel settore dello spettacolo con un incarico molto stimolante, cosa che mi piacerebbe molto, ma dovrei contemporaneamente dare gli ultimi esami universitari, scrivere e discutere la tesi. Ho paura di mettere troppa carne al fuoco e di non riuscire a far bene né l'una né l'altra cosa

Blacksmiths traditionally worked iron into shape by hammering. The iron being worked would be heated in the fire until it was red-hot and malleable. The blacksmith removes the iron from the fire and shapes it with repeated blows from a hammer. They need to work quickly before the iron cools. Once the iron is cool, it becomes brittle and cannot be hammered. Therefore, if the blacksmith heats too many irons at once, the risk is to ruin some of them in the hastened forging