In this episode, we talk about how we view priorities. This is something we’ve mentioned before in previous episodes, and we wanted to dedicate an entire episode to this concept.
The word is “Priority”, being singular, which means that there can only be ONE most important thing.
It wasn't until the 20th century that the concept was pluralized into "priorities." The shift reflects a change in thinking, from the understanding that one could only have a single 'first' thing to the modern idea that several 'first' things can be juggled simultaneously. Yet, this modern interpretation also reveals a paradox; if many things are 'first,' the essential meaning of 'prior'—to be before something else—is diluted.
— Jeff Kays, from this article, which is really good!
There are a few tried-and-true methods that can help sort priorities. One of the most famous is the Eisenhower Matrix, where you break tasks into four categories:
Urgent and important (do these first)
Important but not urgent (it might seem like urgent would come first but actually doing what is important should come first)
Urgent but not important (urgent to whom? How urgent?)
Neither urgent nor important (why even do these? Are they must-dos? Can you get rid of or outsource them?)
Here is a link to download a PDF of this that you can fill in to keep yourself on track!
Psychologist Dr. Susan David, whom we are loving right now, is an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist and named one of the world's most influential management thinkers. She calls this “emotional agility”, which she has written a book about, so check that out. And BTW, there’s an emotional agility quiz on her site, you know we are all about that. (https://www.susandavid.com/quiz/) This is about letting your values—not your calendar—guide your choices. That way, even if your day is full, it’s full of things that mean something.
Three questions to ask yourself to determine your day’s priorities:
What’s urgent AND important?
What’s just noise?
What would help me breathe better if it was done first?
Try setting ONE priority at a time and then be fully present for that.
We saw a little trick recently, that if you have trouble saying no, make a punch card for yourself and for every time you say no to something that doesn’t align, punch the card and then after 10 get yourself a little treat.
Here’s the link to download our punch card! Cause we all love little treats, let’s be real.
“When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.”
“A person with a priority does what matters, while a person without a priority does what is urgent.” — Anastasia Mudrova
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