When you think of the word priority, what often comes to mind? Do you think of meetings, budgets, and your 9-5 work day or, do you think of things like spending time on a hobby, reading a book, or taking the kids to a movie? Most of us probably consider priorities to be the less-enjoyable things in life we’re required to do versus the things we actually love.
Let’s take a second to look at the Merriam-Webster definition of priority.
3. something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives.
Further simplified, a priority is what you consider important, and because of its importance to you, it takes rank over other things. Where did we begin prioritizing the less-enjoyable activities in life?
In episode 6 of The Relentless, Dr. Gurner talks with thought leader, author, and entrepreneur, Kim Scott, as she shares her approach in managing priorities.
This episode can easily be classified as a perspective changer. Who could argue? Kim leaves us with so many valuable, yet valid ways of looking at what our priorities are and how to reevaluate how we manage them. (you’ll have to listen for yourself to see!)
Kim comes from the angle of being a wife, parent, entrepreneur and successful corporate exec, and she’s managed to find the rhythm that works for her life. She explains that it’s not about being perfect and always getting it right but it’s about knowing when to say no and how to effectively respond to the reactive things that manage to take up the most time in our day.
For a sneak peek into this episode, we thought we’d share three of our favorite takeaways, from Kim, to help with giving more priority to the things you enjoy doing:
Key Takeaways:
- Write down your short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals- Thinking through your goals and writing them down, will help create a better visual of what you want to accomplish. The key is not only to focus on the big, long-term goals, but to remember what you want to accomplish in the immediate future, and your goals in between. This will help you rearrange things to fit within your day, the upcoming months, and year. To learn more about effective goal setting, read one of our previous posts; The Art of Effective Goal Setting with Scott Miller.
- Block time to do what you actually want to do- Our daily calendars are often filled with things we have to do. These activities can range from dentist appointments, meetings, phone calls, or even taking your vehicle into the shop. How often do you add activities you really want to do to your calendar? It could be a hobby, taking the kids to the park, or scheduling dinner with a friend. Priorities aren’t just the things we are required to do but they are also what we enjoy. Making time for the enjoyable things will help you become more effective in what you do, day to day.
- Dedicate time to reactive things- Reactive things are the demands placed on our daily schedule that we must respond to. Sending and receiving emails and checking your brand’s social media page are things most entrepreneurs can’t avoid. They can also become a “time-suck” if you are taking reactive time to give them attention. Try scheduling 30 minutes 2-3 times per day to reply to dedicate to reactive things. This will allow the rest of your schedule to be more targeted and the reactive things won’t take up as much of your day.
Kim Scott’s definition of relentless aligns with her unique perspective on how she views priorities. When you care about yourself and those around you, while striving to be and do the best, your priorities aren’t just centered around what you have to do. They will also include what you want to do because you will be focusing on what matters to you and those you care about.
Learn more about what Kim Scott has to say about time management and priorities by listening to this episode of The Relentless. #jointheconversation
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