Prioritising what matters to you
There are so many ways that we can spend our time and yet I’ll bet that there are relatively few of those activities that really bring you joy, happiness and fulfillment. So, why then do we allow ourselves to spend one of our most precious resources doing things that drain, demotivate, and suck the life out of us?
I’d say for most of us the biggest single problem facing each of us is knowing what to say yes to and what to say no to – in other words what we prioritize and importantly why.
I’m sure some of you will be aware of the urgency versus importance diagram which is supposed to be an aid. Now whilst this can work on a task by task granular scale what is more important and most effective is to understand your bigger picture.
What exactly is that?
Your Bigger Picture – Understanding what matters to you
By understanding the key things you are trying to achieve in your life i.e. the destination you are aiming for day-to-day decisions become a little easier to make. So, what matters to you? What are your priorities and in what order are they?
This is important!
An example
I’ll give you an example of what I call a top 5 – these are 5 goals that this hypothetical person, let’s call her Tessa, is trying to achieve.
- Reduce body fat from 40% to 30%
- Read a book a month
- Learn how to deliver a 3-minute speech to work colleagues with confidence
- Spend time outside in the sunshine relaxing – say at least 10 minutes a day
- Learn Spanish
Wow, ok so now we know what Tessa wants to achieve, but there isn’t an order to her list. So, when Tessa gets home from work she’s got a choice she can go to the gym/lift weights, or she can get comfy reading a book. These two are not exactly aligned but that doesn’t mean that both can’t be achieved.
But what would make it clearer for Tessa? Well, that’s simple if she ordered her list of goals by their personal importance to her. Because let’s face it, if reducing body fat was number 5 on the list Tessa’s actions would be quite different to if it was number 1 on the list. Especially if learning Spanish was number 1!
Discover your top 5 goals and put them in order
So, now you understand the importance of getting your top 5 and putting them in order; you’ll want to know how to do it yourself. Luckily, I have put together a comprehensive manual to help you discover what is important to you and why.
This list of your Top 5 goals will help drive your decision making and give you the confidence to say no to things that just don’t matter to you. Think of the powerful feeling of being able to make decisions without you fearing FOMO. Or the freedom of not doing things just to be polite, or because you’re unsure of whether this would be a missed opportunity or not.
Armed with your top 5 priorities you will be ready for pretty much anything.
Making decisions that align with your priorities and goals
It’s hard to imagine a builder building a house without plans. Or a pilot flying to a destination without some idea of where they are going. But in life, we are more than ready to live without much of a plan. So when we make a micro-decision it may take us in one direction. And without a target to aim for the next decision may take us in a completely different direction. Ok if your goal is to go nowhere. But pretty frustrating if you have things you are trying to achieve and you’re just not seeing any progress.
So, the trick is to use your Top 5 goals in the order that means the most to you to make all your decisions. Imagine the traction you’d get by only making decisions and spending your spare time toward achieving those 5 things.
Or if it’s easier imagine if Tessa got home from work and did the following.
Practiced her Spanish whilst going for an energetic walk in the afternoon sun. Then when she got home from her walk did some sort of muscle-building exercises. At the same time, she practiced her speech. In doing so this would prepare her to handle pretty much any distracting situation work can throw at you. Once that was done Tessa would enjoy a nutritious dinner and wind down before bed by reading a chapter or two of her book.
What could you do if you could align your decisions around your top 5 priority goals?
If this all seems too good to be true let me be clear, it’s not as easy as it sounds. If it were everyone would be doing the things that made them happy all the time. But get this – even when life throws you curve balls and there are unexpected challenges you can still be progressing toward your goals. Albeit at a slower pace. The best advice I can give you is to be consistent. Even all you can spare is five minutes a day. If you focus your time and energy to work toward your goals you will build momentum. And ultimately fulfill your dreams.
A small step forward is better than no step at all!
And if you need encouragement because life is throwing lemons at you faster than you can make lemonade read this.