Nine Tips on How to Get Your Priorities Straight*
1. Know your priorities. Not sure what your priorities are? Ask the test question. Here's an example: "If I had to choose between my health and my family, what would I choose?" I would choose to sacrifice my health for my family. That places family first. Go through all your priorities and list and rank them(examples: family, finances, health, relationships, job, education, God, personal development, community service, values, character, attitude).
2. Be your priorities. It's not enough to simply know what your priorities are. They must become a part of your very inner being so that you are one with them. How can you accomplish this? Feed you mind with books and other media that support your priorities. Limit your exposure to "intellectual" junk food. Spend time with those who support your values and dreams. Do your closest friends and acquaintances you spend time with, support or detract from your priorities in life?
3. Live your priorities. One of my clients was sharing how he began to focus more on his health by getting his weight under control. Over the period of many months, he has had to buy new clothes. I asked him this week what he thought was key to his success. His response was, "I made realistic adjustments that fit my lifestyle. I cut back on the bread, drank less alcohol and also cut out the sugar. If I had a 12 or 14 oz. steak at a restaurant, I would cut it in half and eat half of it. I have lost over 2 inches from my waist by making these small changes. No diet can do this because it is unrealistic in the long-term."
Or are you having problems paying rent or your mortgage? Try planning and budgeting for two to three payments in advance. This will cause you to become acutely aware of some of the less important expenditures and will result in a greater awareness of how you manage your money.
4. Reassess your priorities. Priorities guided by higher values basically do not change. We do, however, need to reassess to make sure we are still on track. We may get side tracked by interruptions or obstacles along the way. Or there just may be an unrecognized higher need to help others that may very well take priority.
5. Measure your priorities performance. There is a quote I have heard many times. Measure it and it will improve. Keep a journal with you and use it freely to list your priorities and how you can improve upon them. Reflect on a daily basis. This only takes a couple of minutes so we all have time to do this. This is a part of the measurement process.
6. Keep the big picture view of your priorities. Once you have a clear focus on your priorities, every decision you make as you pursue your lifestyle can be checked with your long-term, big picture goals. It's much easier and much more fun to deal with the short-term goals and challenges when you have the big-picture, long-term view.
7. Priorities need absolute awareness of time usage. Time can only be used, it can never be saved. Once time has passed, it's gone. Treat time as sacred. In the course of your day, think in increments of 10 or 15 minutes when it comes to accomplishing what you have to do. The big-picture of your priorities will better help you to use your time to maximize your performance in support of your life goals. Constantly ask yourself in the course of the day, if what you are doing is the best use of your time and how you can better use it.
8. Priorities need a dose of "Vitamin D," better known as Discipline. We don't always feel like doing what we're supposed to do. That's where you just tell yourself, "Get up and do it!" and then you do what? You get up and do it. The word discipline is a personal responsibility and personal accountability word. Our culture seems to shy away from this one. Embrace discipline and you will increase your success, be secure and happy.
9. Strong inner values will strengthen your priorities. Be clear about what values you stand for, the values that are not just of benefit to you but also to others. Some of these values are truthfulness, honor, selflessness, courage, dependability and caring for and about others first.
Call to action: This week start making a list of your priorities in all the key areas of your life. Start with the areas that concern you the most and then tackle the others.
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How to Manage Time and Set Priorities*
Key Point - Good time management means defining priorities and scheduling activities.
What Are the 3 Rules for Effective Time Management?
1. Don't create impossible situations.
2. Define priorities.
3. Avoid distractions and lack of focus.
Don't Create Impossible Situations.
Don't get trapped into doing too much. Don't try to work full time and take a full load. Don't take too many lab classes. Use time to create success, not failure. Be realistic about school. For most classes, plan to study 2 hours for every 1 hour of class.
Make time your friend not your enemy.
Identify your first priority classes and do whatever it takes to succeed. Drop second priority classes or reduce work hours if necessary.
Define Your Priorities Using the 3-List Method.
Plan your work, then work your plan
All time management begins with planning. Use lists to set priorities, plan activities and measure progress. One approach is the 3-list method.
List #1 - The weekly calendar.
Create a weekly calendar. Make it your basic time budgeting guide. List your courses, work, study time, recreation, meals, TV, relaxation, etc.
Plan to study first priority classes when you work best. Be flexible, adapt your schedule to changing needs. Keep your schedule handy and refer to it often. If it doesn't work, change it.
List #2 - The daily "Things to Do".
Write down all the things that you want to do today. Note homework due or tests or subjects you want to emphasize. Include shopping and personal calls, etc.
This list is a reminder. Use it to set daily priorities and to reduce decision-making and worry. If time is tight, move items to your long-term list.
Rewrite this list each morning. Use visualization to help you focus on what to do. This list is also a measure of your day-to-day success. Check off items as you finish them and praise yourself for each accomplishment.
List #3 - Goals and other things.
This can be one or two lists, a monthly list and or a long-term list. Put down your goals and things you have to do. What do you want to accomplish over the next month or year? What do you need to buy?
Use this list to keep track of all your commitments. If you're worried about something, put it on this list. The purpose of this list is to develop long-term goals and to free your mind to concentrate on today.
Avoid Distractions and Lack of Focus.
Time is precious. Yet many people waste time by getting stuck in one or more of the following habits.
Procrastination - putting off important jobs.
Crises management - being overwhelmed by the current crisis. No time for routine matters.
Switching and floundering - lack of concentration and focus on one job.
Television, telephones and friends - these are all ways of avoiding work.
Emotional blocks - boredom, daydreaming, stress, guilt, anger and frustration reduce concentration.
Sickness - getting sick and blowing your schedule.
In all of these cases, the first step is to recognize the problem and resolve to improve. Use priority lists to focus attention. Try positive self-talk. To avoid distractions, find a quiet place to study, the library or a study hall. Get an answering machine.
*http://www.marin.edu/~don/study/5time.html
PHOTO: http://carersblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/changed-priorities.jpg
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