"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." —Steven R. Covey
Easier said than done for some of us!
In my own effort to prioritize my priorities, I've learned a few things:
- Make them stand out. Put them where you can see them. I've learned to write Priorities on my diary page, followed by the numbers 1, 2, and 3 in red!
- Which brings me to my next point: Don't over-schedule. Most of us can get through no more than three big tasks (or project steps) a day. That's why I plan to do no more than three a day. Keep a list of future tasks elsewhere in your organizer (that's why you have one).
- Priorities change every season, month, week, and even day. If you're writing something down, it's obviously important to you. But what's most important to do today? That's what makes it a priority today.
- Be realistically flexible about yourself and your life. Above all, do not set yourself up for failure and then beat yourself up about it. Plan to succeed and plan accordingly.
That last principle is why I set my priorities in the morning, not the night before. The night before, I don't know what tomorrow will be. For example, if you wake up and it's raining, you may have to swap an outdoor priority for an indoor one. Some days, I wake up more mentally focused, or more physically energetic instead. Some days all I can effectively do is something creative. I take advantage of what I and the day are like to attack those priorities.
Tomorrow will be different, and so will tomorrow's priorities. Freely share your thoughts in the comments!
These are GREAT tips Nan! I do the same with the "top 3". If I can get my top 3 done for the day I consider that a success no matter what chaos ensues during the rest of my day. I like planning my day in the morning as well. Though I usually do an evening wrap up to migrate anything that is important and review my day, and then a morning refresh to set the tone for that day. I also have a rule that if I have to migrate something 3 times, I reevaluate its importance.
ReplyDelete~Yvonne Martin
Thanks! I need to get better at handling migrated tasks. Sometimes I need to break it into smaller tasks or combine it with something else. Change my strategy, in other words.
ReplyDeleteI find these tips extremely helpful!!!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of the top 3 but always found it arbitrary... Having the context that most can only achieve those tasks in a day is really helpful and suddenly makes it meaningful. If they're really big tasks, I can happily just put in 2. Sounds obvious but I've never looked at it that way before!!
The morning planning is also a big one for me... If I have a bad night with insomnia you can bet my 0630 exercise plan is going to get the boot, and I would unhappily cross that off for another morning ... But if I'm kind to myself and dedicate 5 minutes to planning in the morning I can make the tasks fit ME, not the other way around.
Thank you so much!