Sunday, August 11, 2013

Organize Your Priorities

Does it ever feel like you spend all of your time doing but not living?  With all the work and personal responsibilities we each face, it's no wonder its difficult to prioritize.  Sometimes, we just lose sight of what we are really living for.
It can be easy to lose sight of what is really important when dealing with the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  That is why it is so important to add your priorities to the list of things to organize.  If you take the time to organize your priorities, you will have a much better chance of sticking to them.

Ask yourself: What and who is important to me?  What motivates me? What do I want to accomplish in my life?  If I could do anything with my life, what would it be?

Make a list of your top ten priorities. These should include what is important to you.  If you don't decide what they are, others will decide them for you.  Post this list in your Filofax or wherever you will look and review it on a regular basis.

Make a list of all the activities in which you participate then compare this list with your top ten priorities.  Decide on the activities that can be eliminated to make time for your top ten.  Focus on cutting out activities that take your time but don't bring you happiness.

Right now, schedule time in your planner to contribute to your priorities. These may include:

  • A phone call to a friend you need to catch up with
  • Sit-down dinners with your family
  • Family movie or game night
  • Time to exercise
  • A date with your spouse or significant other
  • Reading time for yourself 
  • Time to read to your children
  • Craft time or time to work on a project
Learn to say No!  Set boundaries when needed to help you stick to your top ten priorities.

Honor your priorities every day.

If you need some ideas, here are some of the things that I have to add time in my planner for or they will never get done:
  • Bible Study (20-30 minutes each day)
  • Reading a good book (20-30 minutes a few times a week)
  • A date night with hubby (I try to at least once a week)
  • A Mommy and Me day/outing with one of my kids (once or twice a month)
  • Cleaning projects/ organizing a different area of the home that needs a little more attention
  • Baking - an hour a week - to give the family a home cooked treat
Some tips: 
  • Refer to your priorities list often - keep it up front where it will remind you not to let other things take over
  • Minimize your time that is spent with negative people
  • Don't forget to pray
  • Make a list of things you and your family enjoy doing that costs very little or no money, and then try to add these into your schedule and make time for them.  Google it if your need some ideas to get you started or check out this blog

6 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful reminder of something we should all be doing Rebecca. Thank you for reminding me to put my priorities into perspective..
    Much love
    Meredith
    xxx

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  2. I really like this. It is always good to make time for impotant things, not just appointments and schedules. I will apply a lot of this into my planner. Thank you!

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  3. Another great entry, Rebecca. It's ironic that I'm thinking that I need to bookmark this for WHEN I HAVE TIME to sit down and do it!

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  4. Thank you so much for this post Rebecca! I have taken screenshots of the post so I can sit down with my beloved Filofax and do exactly what you suggest. I'm excited to let my PRIORITIES determine how I fill my schedule. Thank you for the great post! Katie (organizedoperagirl.wordpress.com)

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  5. Wonderful post with great ideas. Thank you for sharing. XX

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