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Part
4
There is one more element we have to consider
when we set priorities, and that is simply, time. How urgent
is it? And how real is that urgency? That ringing telephone,
for example. Is it really necessary to drop what you're doing
to listen to a telemarketer? Does that email really require
a response right now? Often we're the ones who've created
that artificial deadline that is causing all the stress. My
web site won't suddenly fall off the Internet if I don't upload
a new essay today. And sometimes the urgency isn't even ours,
but someone else's.
Of course,
all this works only if we actually remember to stop and think
about our choices. Often it helps to build in a breathing space
before we agree to take on anything new. One friend of mine refuses
to consider any new commitments without a 24-hour delay to think
things over. She says it's too easy to get caught up in the passion
of the moment and "just say yes" without thinking about
it. With her breathing space, she has a chance to really consider
what that new commitment might mean, and to make a conscious choice
about what she wants to do.
Your Number
One Priority
No matter how many other things we have going on, we need to make
ourselves our first priority, and yet, all too often, personal
time is the first thing to go. We all need down time. We need
a chance to recharge our batteries, refill our gas tanks. And
we need it regularly. Without it, one day we suddenly discover
that we're running on empty. We're burned out, stressed out and
used up.
So no matter
how many other things are on that big long list of yours, put
yourself at the top. Make yourself your first priority. Take time
just for you, every day. Don't wait for weekends, or a vacation.
They are nice, but they are few and far between. Give yourself
time to watch TV, to read for fun, to play golf, to eat chocolate.
Give yourself permission to daydream, to lie in bed for ten minutes
more (you might have to set the alarm ten minutes earlier), to
take the scenic route home from the office. Challenge yourself
to find fun and beauty in your life ten times a day. Make it happen.
This isn't
weird, new age gobbledegook. There is scientific evidence that
even a few minutes of down time every couple of hours significantly
improve productivity and performance. So put "self"
and "fun" at the top of your priorities, and watch how
much more time and energy you have for everything else.
When Priorities Change
Life happens.
And sometimes, lots of life happens all at the same time. That's
when you have to step back and let some things go for a while.
You have to ease up on yourself and your commitments, often more
than you think you should. Dealing with life's unexpected challenges
drains your energy, even if it doesn't seem to encroach too much
on your schedule. You need to rearrange your priorities to make
sure that you have even more time to recharge your batteries.
So there
you have it: priority setting in a nutshell. So the next time
something comes up, stop, take some time to think about it, and
then make a deliberate choice. Because after all, that's what
priority setting is all about: choosing what to leave in, and
what to leave out.
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1 | Part 2 | Part
3
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