Everything's Important... How do I prioritize it all?
OK. You’re on board with this whole idea of planning out your time more intentionally.
You’ve read my blogs and watched my IG reels - you know how much you stand to gain by making decisions in advance so that all you have to do in the moment is execute your plan.
So you open up your calendar, take a look at your running to-do list, grab a notebook or planner, and... freeze.
The sheer volume of “stuff” staring back at you is overwhelming.
You’re like a deer in headlights.
There are a million things you could, and probably should, do this week.
Projects that have been collecting dust and desperately need your attention.
Deadlines that you absolutely must honor.
Decisions that you need to make for the kids but just haven’t had time to think about.
Solutions you need to research.
All of that on top of your regular schedule of meetings, appointments, activities, etc.
You know it’s not reasonable to do ALL of it, but you can’t stop yourself from trying.
You know that creating to-do lists a mile long isn’t helpful, but it feels like you have no other choice.
When everything feels important, how do you choose?
I’m going to let you in on a little secret:
OWN THE TRUTH
You start by owning the hard truth that it’s not realistic for you to get everything done without sacrificing sleep, time with family, or burning yourself out.
I’ll pause for a minute while you think about that, let it soak in….
I know there’s a part of you that is thinking “But what if this is the week that it actually happens? What if this is the week that I actually accomplish it ALL?”.
What if? Or what if it’s the week that your body shuts down because it’s beyond exhausted?
Ok. Now that you understand what’s at stake, next I need you to understand that choosing one thing over another doesn’t mean you failed.
You’re still getting stuff done! You’re not sitting around eating bon bons. You’re crossing a reasonable number of things off your list, taking care of your family, and making sure that you have enough energy to do it all over again the next day.
So remember - decide that you won’t attempt to do it all and know that you’re not failing by choosing.
IT'S DECISION TIME
Now, let’s make some decisions. Follow these steps to guide you through the questions to ask yourself when choosing what’s important:
Preview - What’s on the calendar for the week and is there anything you need to do to be prepared? Those things definitely go on the week's list.
Deliver - Do you have any deadlines? Swim lesson registration, project deliverable due, school supply shopping. Those go on the list next.
Evaluate - After you take care of everything from steps 1 and 2, how much time will you have left? And how much of that “leftover time” will you need in order to take care of your kids, your home, and yourself? If there’s still time for more, proceed to step 4.
Find your champagne moment - What thing, if completed, would be worthy of you popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate? In other words, what will feel really good to have crossed off your list? Or sometimes I’ll ask myself, “if I did nothing else this week, I would be proud that I did X.”
The list that you create by following these 4 steps might seem shorter than you’re used to. That’s the point!!! Remember: we’re not doing it all.
The reality is, if you complete everything on your list in record time - you’ll have options. You can add more to your list or you can get some time back to do things that you’ve put on the backburner (like exercise, go on a date, read a book, or see a friend).
And that big old master to-do list? It will still be there waiting for you next week. That’s its job. To be a parking lot for the things that you aren’t doing right now. Those tasks, those projects, those ideas - they’re all safe on your master list.
BONUS: You get to choose when you take care of them.
Think about how good it will feel to cross off everything on your list this week.
I bet it’ll feel pretty damn good. And that glass of bubbly won’t be too shabby either.