Over the last several weeks I have spent a lot of time with family since we wanted to be close to family after the birth of our fourth child. During that time, I have observed in a few relatives a prioritization approach that made no logical sense to me. After careful consideration and reflection, I realized this kind of prioritization also happens in my life more often than I would like it to happen.
There are several diverse ways to prioritize. Each way has its pros and cons. I won’t make this post about the different methods of prioritization. If you are interested in different prioritization methods here is one blog post that summarizes several. It is not a comprehensive list but there are some good ones here if you are needing help prioritizing.
The approach I observed in my relatives and myself is to prioritize what is seen. I do this all too often, rather than be values or vision driven, I do the things that are in front of me right now. In practice, this means my priorities are dictated by my inbox at work. I will wait for someone to ask something of me before I act. This is a terrible way to prioritize! At the end of a day like that, I feel unaccomplished and I know my work isn’t adding up to something of value.
I want to learn, grow, and help those around me to be their best. This can’t be accomplished by prioritizing the things I can see. I must, set goals, make a plan, and prioritize the actions that will have the greatest impact on my goals. It is only then that I can feel accomplished and that my work is compounding and adding value to me and those around me.
How do you prioritize? Do you prioritize what you see, or do you prioritize with intentionality?
I’m a work in progress and am looking for ways to prioritize the important over what I see. If you have tips or something that has worked for you, please let me know.
