Priorities
You might have noticed that I took the month of July as a break from YouTube, the Blog, and Social Media. I have been in a season of life where there is a lot going on and something had to give.
Over the past year I have thought a lot about priorities. The definition of priority is: The fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important. What are the most important things to me? How do I make sure they get done rather than other tasks that seem urgent in the moment?
During the month I took a break, I took some time to sit down and write out my priorities. I am going to walk you through the exercise I did in hopes that you will join me to make the most important things, well, the most important.
First, make this a matter of prayer. Ask the Lord where you should focus your priorities.
Next, I created some categories. I used a simple legal pad. This doesn’t have to be complicated. You might think of other categories to add to this list.
Spiritual
Physical
Emotional/Mental
Relationships/Family
Home
MInistry
Work
Creative
For each of these I wrote down things that were important to me in those categories. For some of the categories I wrote down things I am currently doing, but want to continue. For example, in the Spiritual category I have “morning devotion time.” This is something I have been doing for a long time, but it’s a priority and I want to make note of how important it is to continue this.
In some categories I wrote down things that I have done inconsistently, but know they are important. Drinking enough water and taking walks during the week under the physical category are an example of this.
Many times there are places that we don’t think about with goal setting and so they get overlooked. A great example of this is in the Family/Relationship category. Do I value my marriage? Of course! What do I need to keep doing or start doing to prioritize this relationship? What about my children?
By writing these things down we are taking them out that mental cloud of “one day I would like to…” and now it’s time to create a plan.
We need to be realistic in our planning. There are only 24 hours in a day. I have been doing very little exercise up to this point over the last few years. For me to write down that I’m going to wake up at 4:30AM and do a one hour run each morning is only setting myself up for failure. I do wish to prioritize my physical health, so a better option would be to do 30 minutes of exercise or walking 3 times a week. That is doable and I can push that goal forward.
For my home, this is a category that I feel that I have been doing well in. And that is ok! Don’t think you need to reinvent the wheel for each category! There are lots of things you are already doing well in your life. Celebrate those!
Now that we have these things listed, choose 3 of these that you want to really focus on. These need to be things that you need to improve on or start doing.
Let’s take date night for an example. I am sad to admit to you that this is one we really need to work on. But me saying with my mouth, “One date night a month with my husband is a priority.” is not enough. I need to look at the calendar and choose a night. I need to go ahead right now and schedule a sitter. NOW I have truly made it a priority.
We love our weekly family devotion, but this Summer is has been more miss than hit. By lamenting this I change nothing. Instead, when I am planning for my week I need to look at my priority list and be reminded that our weekly family devotion is a priority. Now I will choose a night for it to happen and it is much more likely to become a reality.
Now for a word of caution. Everything can’t be a priority. Your life is different than mine and mine is different from yours. We might be in different seasons. Your job might be more demanding than mine. Be careful to not compare your priorities to someone else’s. But more importantly, do not overwhelm yourself. A 10 minute walk 3 times a week is better than one one hour work out done and then I give up. Choose only a few things to focus on.
In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear said, “It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.” When we make these daily changes, this is when we really begin to see progress and feel the power of margin in our lives.
When we choose certain places to put our focus, this often results in something else having to go on the back burner. This does not mean that it’s gone forever. It’s just not the season for that to be a front and center priority.
For the remainder of this year, rather than putting out 1 YouTube video a week for The Goodness Margin, I will be doing 2 a month. TGM is still very much a priority in my life. But I have to be realistic about what is on my plate. In order to give some things your best, you might have to reevaluate your goals.
There was a season of life that I read about 3 books a month. This is not that season. And that is ok! I believe that season will come back around.
So rather than focus on what you are letting go of, look at what you are choosing to make important! What kind of life do you want to have? You get to choose where you expend your energy and time.
I would love to hear from you. What are some areas you will be focusing on for the rest of this year?