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Setting Priorities in Your Life Often we get bombarded with so many obligations that we have difficulties finding what is most important. It’s interesting that when we ask someone how they are doing nowadays, the catchphrase of the current era seems to be “Busy.” We are all busy. Busy, busy, busy…. But what are we doing?  There is so much to do that we rarely seem to have time for ourselves and those around us. We have lots to do; too much, in fact. Work is taking an ever increasing toll on our time and the obligations of keeping up in our professional lives and more seems to be taking us over the edge as far as time goes. We are even sleeping less. Twenty years ago everyone thought that the average person was to get eight hours of sleep. Today most people are only sleeping seven, many even less. But what are we getting for all of this?
Have a look at your life and see what you are spending your time doing? If it’s just things that are busy work, but no real production, which includes quality time with those you love, then it may be that you need to re-examine what you are spending your time doing. Also have a look at the things that you want to accomplish in your life. Imagine that you had all the money you could need. What would you do with your time? What would your priorities be? Would you spend more time with your family? Friends? Would you create the business you’ve always wanted? Or would you find a job that you really enjoyed instead of the one you are currently at? Write down you answers to these questions.
Think of four areas of your life that you want to be better at: career, health, personal life (can include family, if you are a family person), and your spiritual and mental well being. Now think of at least two things that you want to accomplish in each of those areas. Better if you can think of five. Prioritize them. Now look at the top two in each category. Think of one thing that you can do over the next year that will help you to actually obtain that goal. This has to be action oriented! What is it? Does it seem too big? Remember, this is over a year. And then think of the 12 things that you can do to make that one big thing happen in each of those four goals. These are then your monthly objectives. What tasks do you have to complete in order to complete each of your monthly objectives? Be sure to write these down! If you cannot express them in written format that is measurable, then they are no good. Your objectives must be measurable. For example, I want to get into better shape. Okay, so what can I do over the next year to meet this goal? I can start exercising more. What 12 things can I do so that I will be able to exercise more and meet my goal? - I can measure my current level of fitness
- I can decide on a realistic exercise program
- I can start exercising according to the program
- I can examine my diet and see what I can do to eat better
- I can start buying healthier food.
- I can stop buying easy food for lunch or dinner
- I need to find time to do all of this (obviously this would be the first month’s task!)
- I can find something that will help motivate me to keep with this.
- I can track my progress
- I can get more involved with sports and family fitness activities
- I can let everyone know that I’m doing this (this will help with my motivation)
- I should consult with an expert to make sure I’m on the right track.
When I look at each of these, there are going to have to be prioritized properly in order to meet the objectives. And there will have to be some setting of priorities. It’s interesting how few people set their priorities in writing. What is really important? These are the things that each person needs to decide. And then write them down! If it’s more important to play a couple of games of checkers with your son than it is to watch TV, then write that down as something for your daily goals! Yes, it’s okay, in fact, it’s great, to write down your goals for each weeks and the daily tasks that you need to get done in order to meet these goals. This will eliminate (or at least lessen) the wasted time that keeps us so “busy” that we can’t find time to do what’s important. Remember, nobody ever wanted to spend more time in the office at the end of their life. You won’t find your computer, your clients, or your boss at your funeral (or very unlikely for most people). But you will find those people that love you and who you made a priority in your life there when you need them most. Who and what is your priority?
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Self Growth