Quantum Happiness Series- Plant priorities

“At the center of your being; you know who you are, and you know what you want.”
—Lao Tzu

Priorities are like sunflowers in our goal garden that keep us facing in the right direction. Prioritizing highlights what is most important while identifying things that can wait, be delegated, or even deleted.

Tasks are best prioritized by making to-do lists. When the list is complete, assign either an A, B or C to each item and get busy working your A's off :)

·        A= Absolutely must be completed NOW- Imperative.

·        B= Needs immediate attention. Serious.

·        C= Needs attention soon. Stable.

Avoid temptation to work on the C’s first, and dive straight into those A’s.

Some of us tend to procrastinate by knocking out a few C’s, but that’s a rookie mistake. Get those A’s out of the way, and we feel better, lighter, more productive while we sail through the rest of our list.

The deadline dilemma

For some reason, deadlines cause me to procrastinate. If I am on deadline, my first instinct is always to clean the house, buy groceries, and cook, all the while telling myself that I am going to get started writing as soon as I wrap up this one last item.

I remember one time in particular when the girls were small, I was on deadline and having trouble concentrating. James stepped in to save the day and took the girls on an outing to do some shopping and stop by the park.

He looked at me as they were leaving and said,

“I don’t want to come home and find the house clean and dinner smelling good. I want to come home and find you relaxed because your assignment is finished.”

That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.

Review then preview

At the end of the day, review your to-do list and consider tomorrow’s agenda. Are there any items floating in the B or C category that might be delegated or deleted entirely?

Maybe your grass needs to be cut, the dog needs a bath, or you need groceries but dread the time and energy these tasks will take. All these things can be delegated. Or maybe you were planning to cook dinner for a friend next week but realize you don’t have time. Can it be cancelled or postponed until you have time to enjoy it? If not, go to a restaurant instead and leave the cooking and cleaning to someone else.

It is important to know what is driving us, what our priorities are. So, find or create a planner or planning app that addresses your needs and use it faithfully.

There are three planning worksheets at the end of this segment to get you started.

Engagement exercise 1:
List your to-dos for the month, the week, and the day. Designate to-do’s as A, B, or C priorities. Practice daily and revise as needed.

 

Example: My month

A/B/C          Tasks

A                 Pay bills

B                 Oil change in car

A                 Baby’s shots

 (continue as needed.)

 

My week

A/B/C           Tasks

A                 Dinner with Mom

C                 Wash car

A                 Make appt. for baby’s shots

 (continue as needed.)

 

My day

A/B/C          Tasks

B                 Finish laundry

A                 Make appt. for baby’s shots 

A                 Pay bills

(continue as needed.)

 

 

My month

A/B/C                                       Tasks

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My week

A/B/C                                       Tasks

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My day

A/B/C                                       Tasks

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Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash