Prioritize Your Time and Reclaim Your Energy
If you find yourself running around doing all the things and making yourself crazy, it’s time to take a few moments and reflect.
There are things that are important. There are things that are urgent. And there are things that pretend to be both. If you are living your life this way, you will discover the joys of burnout and illness very soon.
When Everything Feels Urgent
Your mind and body cannot sustain such a pace where everything is a fire to be put out all at the same time. Something must burn while other things must be saved. And it is up to you to make that decision.
True Story: There was a manager who was talking with his employees about getting all the things done. He made a list of all the tasks and projects and put them on the whiteboard.
One employee asked, “Which ones are most important, we should start with those.” To which the manager nodded and looked at the board. He then proceeded to star items as “the most important”.
When he was done, ALL the items had a star by them. The employee just shook their head, because there was NO WAY the team could do all the tasks at the same time…but that is what the manager was asking for.
Needless to say, none of the projects ever got completed…and the employee who asked about priorities left that job soon after.
The same is true about your life and the tasks and projects you have on your plate. Are you trying to get everything done at once? Or are you willing to spend a little time reflecting on what is Urgent (has an upcoming deadline) and Important (what supports you and your BIG Dream).
That manager had the right idea, to list out all that was happening and review it…BUT his big mistake was to make everything a #1 priority. And so often, we do this. A task pops into our mind and we think, “I better get that done now before I forget about it!” Or, someone else’s fire gets plopped into our lap and takes us away from what we should be doing and the spiral begins.
Start to Prioritize Your Time
When you get clear on YOUR priorities, you can begin to take control of what you will and won’t do. List out all the tasks and projects you have and be honest with yourself. Put dates next to the items that have deadlines, note the items that are truly important to you, and add an ‘NGD’ next to the items that you’re Never Gonna Do.
We all have a few things on our list that are truly NGDs and yet they are filled with emotions of “I really do want to do that, but …” (I personally have a car sitting in my driveway that I REALLY want to restore…but it’s been there for 9 years now…NGD!)
You don’t have to get rid of those NGDs right now, but you do need to admit that they are there. 😉
Then it’s time to assess the rest of the list. Are there things that you don’t really want to do but said yes to anyway? It’s time to release those items. Respectfully let those who are affected know that you are bowing out of that commitment.
What Deserves Your Energy
We all have the same hours in a day and you have the final say in what you fill your hours up with. So, when you’re feeling overwhelmed and headed for burnout, take the time to review all the things you’re doing and prune what doesn’t light you up and those pesky NGDs!
It’s empowering to finally look at your list and realize that you have more control than you thought. When you prioritize your time based on what matters most to you, life feels less like a sprint and more like something you actually want to participate in.
If you're ready to sort the chaos and get clear on what truly deserves your time and energy, download the Discover, Define, Dream-3 Big Rocks worksheet. It’s a simple, powerful tool that will help you define your priorities and bring more focus to your day.