If one of your goals in life is to become more productive and more efficient, then mastering the art of prioritization is the key!!
Question….
How often do you find yourself being swayed or drawn to distractions which add little or no value to your life?
How often do you procrastinate and make excuses for not starting or completing a task and then become disappointed and stressed by your own lack of productivity and or the disappointment you have caused others.
We have all experienced unplanned days where there is no agenda, nothing was organized or prioritized, and unexpected things filled the day and wiped it out.
On the other hand, we have all experienced those AMAZING days where an agenda of very important things was followed and, at the end of the day we were happy and grateful that we had accomplished so much.
Prioritization increases your motivation, amplifies your focus, and gives you more time back. It lowers your stress, increases productivity, and allows you to achieve bigger and better results in less time.
So, what do you value most in life, what would you like to achieve and how can you prioritize your days so it becomes a reality?
HOW TO PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE
1. Take responsibility for how you spend your time.
No matter now stressed, busy or overwhelmed you feel, you must understand that you are in control of what goes in your calendar. Obviously, there are exceptions – life happens but nobody else will choose your priorities for you.
Action Steps:
Take back control of your time and decide what you want your life to look like.
Write a clear vision as though it is already happening.
2. Decide what is most important. What do you value most in life?
If you want to experience life balance it is important to get clear on what is most important to you.
Action Steps:
Write a list of all the things going on in your life, i.e. your obligations to family, work, financial, mental, hobbies, social, spiritual, health, exercise. Anything that takes time and energy. Narrow it down to the 10 things that matter most.
3. Use a Prioritization Pyramid
Action Steps:
Write, in order, from most important to least important and place it in a pyramid.
Now when 2 competing things pop up you can use the pyramid as a filter for making decisions and choose the opportunities that are aligned with your highest values.
4. How to prioritize jobs and activities that are important.
Action Steps
a) Use a Priority Matrix
b) Create a timetable for every wakeful hour of every day of the week.
b) Create a timetable for every wakeful hour of every day of the week.
1. Fill in important and urgent obligations such as work, meetings, appointments, family commitments, etc.
2. Fill in important and Not Urgent activities such as exercise, friends, future planning, meditation, etc.
NB: Get creative with your time in order to fit important tasks in for example exercise with friends, work meeting over lunch, educate yourself while you drive by listening to lectures and podcasts.
Notice those free hours in your week for you to nurture you by reading a book, pursuing a hobby or craft, or watching a movie.
5. Avoid Distractions
Avoid filling your day with unimportant activities that move you further away from you life vision.
“If you do not fill your day with high priority actions that inspire you, your day will fill up with low priority distractions.” John Demartini
So here’s to condensing your day’s and weeks with high priority actions that allow life to run smoother, for you to achieve more and result in you having more time to truly enjoy the things in your life you are inspired by and value most.
