Priorities: How Important They Are to Productive Living

I recently went on a date with my husband to see the latest Avengers movie (it was awesome!). Afterwards, we stopped at a Tim Hortons to grab a coffee and started talking about our priorities in life, professional and personal. We began with each other, how we could make even more time to talk and connect every day despite the busyness of life, what places we wanted to visit together, what our reno plans are for our home, and how we saw our lives in five, ten years.

Then we moved on to what we were going to do with our four children this summer and what we could change now to be better parents. We talked about how we could support the different interests we see in each child. Most importantly, we talked about showing them, in very tangible ways, how much we love them.

Last, we talked about our personal dreams, his dreams to franchise his new company, and my new books and marketing opportunities. We really fleshed out how we were going to accomplish these goals. No matter how high we aspire, it is possible to reach our dreams with priorities.

Stuck on Replay

One way to make sure you keep on track of your journey is to talk about it, write it out, think about it. Basically, always keep it at the forefront. How badly do you want to achieve your goal? We call this the will or determination. Foster this.

Many times, we have not one major priority but several. You can keep track of them by listing their importance in your life. Mine is God, my husband, my kids, family, friends, church, and work. I live my life according to my priorities. Of course, it's always good to have a semblance of balance, but there will always be a hierarchy.

The Start of Every Day

You'll hear many successful business people say that they start the day with 20-30 minutes of meditation. What kind of meditation? Thinking about their goals for the day and wherever their thoughts lead them. They pull the plug on all the surrounding noise, computers, cell phones, people, and music.

They also write out a list of their top ten priorities for the day numbering them according to highest importance. That way their day is structured and they're not wasting time wondering what they're supposed to do next.

I know that when I've made my list of priorities, my day flows much more smoothly and I am much more effective in my use of time and energy. The days I haven't done so seem disastrous at times...walking around the house seeing all that there is to do and wallowing that there's so much to do!

The Thing That Stops Me

I have to fight against my false thinking that I'll be wasting more time writing out the list than if I don't. I think that if I just start my day without the list, I'm getting to what I need to do sooner. Big fat lie I keep telling myself!

Eating an Elephant

I encourage you to dream big and then to do some work in writing out the steps you need to accomplish to get to your goals. You can always refer to your list when you're feeling overwhelmed, dispassionate, or lost in the passage of Time. I had a teacher that always said the goal was like an elephant that you could only eat one bite at a time. Looking at the whole elephant is disheartening. Start with the first step, then the second, until you'll find yourself having accomplished your goal.

What are some other ways you keep on track of accomplishing your goals?