If everything is a priority, then nothing is. What is the MOST important task for you to complete today that will bring you closer to your one year, three year, and ten year goals?
When of the greatest separators of being human versus being any other animal on planet earth is our ability to plan for the long term future and prioritize our to tasks to help us achieve those plans. Do you think a lion is thinking about when he wants to retire or even what he’s going to do next Thursday? But the sad reality is that many of us do not take advantage of our ability to plan. We live day-to-day, doing just enough to survive, but not enough to thrive or make real progress towards a better future.
How can we start to live with a purpose or plan in mind? At the start of every week, look at the week ahead and rank what your priorities are from most important/most urgent to least important/least urgent. Think about your future goals and look to see if your planned actions for the week will help get you there. What action steps absolutely need to be taken to keep you on track to achieving your goals and what tasks/steps do not need to be taken this week (or ever)? Are there redundant tasks that you find you’re constantly performing and can you find a way to automate those to free up your time? Are there frequently asked questions (FAQs) that you find yourself responding to regularly? If so, do you have a website or an email template that can answer those questions before people get the chance to ask them? The key is to minimize tasks that don’t move the needle in making progress towards your future goals and instead focusing only on the most important and highest priority actions. Once you are able to do that, you will be able to make significant progress towards your goals and finally be able to thrive.