Nobody escapes the pressures of modern life. To maintain productivity more and more we have to improve our efforts and meet deadlines. This can lead us to be confused when it comes to our priorities. One of the signs that show that you are at risk of this confusion is having a large number of priorities.
Let’s talk about how having too many priorities is a challenge and why it can even paralyze you. Let’s see also what is it that mainly makes people have many priorities?
I think most of us have experienced days when our to-do list is long, our desks are piled with papers, our cell phones are ringing or beeping with a lot of unread messages, in addition to those that reach our desk with requests. In this scenario, you can add a series of personal responsibilities and a large number of distractions that come through our cell phones or tablets. So, with these countless activities, it is not surprising that people are paralyzed, without knowing what they should pay attention first.
Setting priorities is not a simple task; it can be complex, not only because of the pressures, challenges and sometimes unexpected situations of each day but also because of the misunderstanding that exists between what is urgent, important and a priority. Let’s look at them in detail:
- Urgent activities are those that because there is no more time to postpone them, they must be addressed immediately.
However, we have to be clear, that one thing is that you have an unexpected or unplanned situation or adversity and you have to take action immediately – at the moment, and another thing is that due to procrastination, negligence, laziness, or lack of focus you have left an activity for the last moment. These are not the best activities to be with every day.
- Important activities are those that you must do within a time planned. These activities are directly related to what is important and a priority in your life.
These are activities that must be planned in advance and managed on a daily basis; they are those that allow us to successfully fulfill our commitment with ourselves and with our projects. Those who handle important activities and their resources well are those who avoid wasting time and effort and are not dedicated to putting out fires.
- Priorities are the ones that go first or before other activities. They are the ones that should give meaning to your life and represent your values and beliefs.
Priorities reflect in your life what is really valuable to you and deserve your attention, focus, and energy. By having your priorities clear, in the areas of your life that matter, such as your health, finances, relationships, profession, among others, you begin to give an elevated meaning to your life and to have the right focus on your daily activities.
But we must be careful and have the right priorities, remember the old proverb “if you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”
Each day your priorities dispute your energy and your time, so it is not rare for people who are confused between the urgent, important and a priority to become paralyzed, lose focus and do not know what to do first or what to do next or what it is the next step. The paralysis produced by having too many priorities is one of the challenges to productivity.
Don’t waste more precious time without taking the correct action. Establish your priorities and improve your personal and business strategy with the help of an executive coach.
Question: How can you be better focused on your priorities and be more productive every day?