How Priorities Help You Get More Done Even On The Hard Days

When the days are hard, it can feel like letting go of all the priorities and plans is the easiest thing to do. But it’s actually the WORST thing we can do for our time and sanity.

The hard days can feel like a rat race, and you don’t know which task is the right thing to do in that moment when five other things are commanding your attention and 3 things feel apart before breakfast.

But having the priorities set for the day is what will bring you to the end of the day and you will feel like you accomplished something. It will also help you know exactly what to do in any given moment because you have your priorities set.

You know what wins out in any given situation.

Priorities & Plans Make Your Life Easier

When I first became a mom, it felt like making plans and setting priorities was pointless. This little human brought so much unpredictability why bother? But here is the thing I also found out the hard way. When there is no structure, and you are just reacting. Your days feel purposeless. You will get to the end of the day with what feels like nothing to show for it. And when you are a naturally driven person, that can feel miserable.

Here’s how planning and setting priorities help you.

Priorities will change based on the current circumstance, they are what cause us to change our plans at a moment’s notice and make choices easy, even if that choice is not something we want to do.

Knowing what’s important to you is key to setting priorities in any part of your life. Sometimes you know what they are without even thinking.

Here is an example of something that can be a really high priority and also something that can quickly fall to the bottom of the list depending on the circumstances.

Like running to help your child after you hear a scream from the other room. (And going back downstairs with an eye roll when you see it was a temper tantrum)

It’s your scale of deciding when one task trumps another one.

When you are building a business for the betterment of your family, it’s not so hard to tell your child they can wait 10 minutes for you to finish a task before answering their demand.

Don’t Choose The Priorities Of Others

You have ideas in your head of what your life should look like. All the gurus tell you to do THIS, and you’ll be a good wife. Do THAT and you will have a successful business……..

So you lay out a plan and you wooooooooorrrrrrrrk so hard until you feel like you have accomplished that goal. But once you get knee-deep into the process, you realize you don’t really love what you’re building. 

It is so easy to get sidetracked with what others are doing and think THAT is what will bring you the results you are looking for. You see all of the awesome things they are doing, and that takes you on a path you never intended to go on.

Make sure the things you are working towards and priorities you set are yours and yours alone. 

How To Set Priorities

Before I can tell you how to set priorities I need to tell you what they are so we can be on the same page.

First, let me be clear. Priorities are NOT to-do lists or tasks. They are beliefs or things you hold in such high regard that nothing gets your time before them. Or when something urgent happens in one area of life it trumps other things you planned to do.

There are a few different levels of priorities.

• Things we won’t (and shouldn’t) budge on like our values and convictions.
• Things like faith and the characteristics you value in people.
• Keeping your family first over your hobbies, and business.

The Why Behind the What

You need to know why you are putting something over another. You need to know the WHY behind the WHAT of your actions.

Things like wanting to make money so your family can do fun things or to help add to your savings account to be more financially stable.

Or being healthier so you can do things for your family and be there for them.

You need to clearly see the lines you won’t cross or things you are not willing to sacrifice for success when something else shows up and tries to pull you away. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

Here is what this looks like in action.

Using Your Priorities To Run The Day

List out everything that is on your mind and look at the list.

Ask yourself what is the most IMPORTANT things to get done based on priorities, NOT urgency.

List a reasonable amount of tasks for you to get done in a day, in order of importance and impact.

DO NOT Over Pack The Day

I used to be the worst at this. I would pack in 34 hours ‘ worth of work into a 24-hour day and wonder why the list was never completed and I felt overwhelmed. My mind was full of tasks that still had not been done at the end of the day and I was feeling guilty. 

Been there? Yep!

Don’t make your to-do list too long. It should be manageable and you should have LESS on your list rather than more. Here’s why. 

Things are always going to take longer to get done than you thought. 

If you have a bonus task list you can pull from it if you have extra time. This will help calm your resistance to putting less on the calendar.

Constantly Re-Evaluate

Don’t run off because of this. But your priorities might change daily. Some by choice and some not by choice. That is a part of life. But when you can think back on your priorities and know you made the right choice in the moment. The pressure can lessen.

Re-Evaluate if Something Feels Off

When something seems off or like you are forcing yourself to do something. Stop and look at why you feel that way. If you are pushing so hard for something to happen it might not be in alignment with your life goals and priorities.

Sit down with a piece of paper and just write out your thoughts. What are you feeling? Where is your heart with your current work? Is it fulfilling? What is it that causes you to drag your feet about doing a task?

An example might be if you really do want to exercise and get healthier but you are dragging your feet about going to the gym. Maybe you need to change the environment.

Try going for a walk instead.

Don’t hold so tightly to your plans that you are overworked and stressed to the point of not enjoying life. You will not be the same person in six months. Perspective and priorities change with time so do your best to move with the change and realize that its ok to what something different.

Your priorities will change, and that’s Okay.

For people with type A personalities and who love to follow a schedule. (I am at the front of the line here) It can be hard to shift gears. But the peace that this will give you is far more important than a stubbornness about holding on to a minute-by-minute plan.

Create your priorities for the day and work on them by order of importance. When you are interrupted 50 times a day it is literally impossible to plan a time-blocked schedule.

Plans can and will change and that’s ok. It is easy to forget you are not locked into doing anything. Plans can change with a single phone call.