Where do YOUR priorities lie?
Managing our time, priorities and efforts in today’s day and age is a crucial skill.
As modern life offers us an abundance of opportunities and options, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of decisions we need to make. When we establish priorities, we create a framework that helps us navigate through this abundance with greater clarity.
We often need to balance:
- finances
- physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health
- relationships
- jobs and careers
- social life
- upholding a household
At its core, setting priorities involves determining what matters most to us. This requires introspection and a deep understanding of our values, goals, and aspirations. It's essential to distinguish between short-term desires and long-term objectives. Priorities should align with our broader life vision, helping us move closer to our ultimate goals.
To kick off, I want to ask you these 2 questions.
1 - where currently do your priorities lie?
2 - where would you like your priorities to lie?
If there is a difference between these, let’s breakdown the benefits of working on your priorities and how you can do that.
Benefits of Prioritisation:
Focus, Time Management and Productivity:
- brings awareness of what we want to focus on and how we will do it
- creates a set direction and flow
- increases productivity for each task we are completing
Boundaries:
- encourages setting and honouring boundaries
- increases self-respect and awareness
- increases presence
Stress Reduction:
- calms and grounds self knowing direction
- improves mental, emotional and spiritual health
- allows time for physical health
Achieve Goals:
- allows awareness of what you want to achieve
- sets direction and plan of how to achieve
- prioritises the things you want to work on
Strategies to help you prioritise:
We all think we are too busy to spend an hour prioritising our very overwhelming to-do list.
However, by spending time on this, we are going to create much more time for ourselves and free up time to fit more of what we want in.
Eisenhower Matrix
This matrix involves placing your tasks at hand into these 4 quadrants:
1. important and urgent → do first
2. not important and urgent → schedule
3. important and not urgent → delegate
4. not important and not urgent → eliminate
SMART Goals
Specific | Measurable | Achievable | Realistic | Timely
Provides yourself a clear framework for prioritisation.
This means you will have directed effort and intention rather than fluffing about on unnecessary tasks or areas of life.
Review Regularly
Priorities can shift over time due to changing circumstances so it is important to regularly review and adjust our priorities to help us stay aligned with our current goals and values.
In a world filled with distractions and choices, the skill of prioritisation has never been more vital.
By defining what truly matters and allocating our time, energy, and resources accordingly, we can achieve greater success, happiness, and fulfilment. Whether in our personal pursuits or professional endeavours, the power of priorities guides us toward a more purposeful and rewarding life.