Podcast:
At Inside Outlooks, we’re dedicated to helping our clients and business partners make better decisions about how they manage their time and resources. We address the questions our clients bring to us and share these insights so everyone can benefit from our coaching.
Today’s Topic: Priorities
How do you set priorities in your business life and personal life? Or perhaps a more pressing question: Do you set priorities at all? It’s crucial to be intentional about setting your priorities; otherwise, they will set themselves. If you’re not strategic with how you organize your tasks, everything will become urgent, and your priorities will be determined by circumstances rather than by you.
Prioritization: A Balancing Act
We challenge you to examine how you set and balance your personal and professional goals. The real question is not just how to balance them, but how to merge them effectively.
Coaching Beyond Tasks
We assume that our clients already know the basics of prioritizing tasks:
- Making a list.
- Breaking that list down into steps.
- Setting deadlines.
- Outsourcing or delegating tasks.
Our focus is on helping you decide what to do next. Where should your time and attention go? What is the most important thing to do right now, by the end of the day, this week, or even this year? Can you reach those priorities, or do unexpected things disrupt your plans?
The Battle of Priorities
How do you handle situations where an unexpected task demands your attention? Ask yourself: Is this new task a big enough priority to disrupt your existing plans?
For example, if a loved one or colleague asks you to do something unplanned, how do you handle it? It’s not just about making the task a priority but showing them that they are a priority. This subtle difference is key to being intentional about your life priorities. Knowing who you are and what you value is essential to making the right judgment calls.
Core Values Define Your Priorities
Your core values are similar to love languages in personal relationships—they guide your priorities. What are your core values? These are reflected in what you prioritize and why. Your unique skills and knowledge also influence your priorities.
What Does the Heart Say?
At a recent conference, a speaker responded to a request with: “My heart says yes. My calendar says no.” This illustrates the balance between wanting to help and being realistic about existing commitments. It’s about respecting your current priorities while acknowledging new ones.
Environment Can Change Your Priorities
Unexpected events can instantly change your priorities. For example, if someone has an accident, your immediate priority is to help them, driven by your core values.
Making the Personal a Priority
If everything is a priority, then nothing is. Be strategic with your language and actions. Align your priorities with your core values to ensure you are living according to what matters most to you.
An Exercise to Help You Prioritize
Reflect on your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly priorities and align them with your values. This exercise can shift your perspective and help you reorder your priorities for greater impact.
Law of Diminishing Returns
Evaluate whether maintaining certain priorities is necessary or if they can be adjusted. Understand that some things have an expiration date, like witnessing a sunrise, which requires immediate action, while other tasks can wait.
Finding Balance
Balance your personal and business lives so they complement rather than compete with each other. Align your core values with your priorities for a more harmonious life.
Thank you for listening to this podcast and for the thought-provoking questions from our clients. Remember, your external reality reflects your internal landscape. If you’re interested in diving deeper into this topic, explore our podcast or reach out to us at Inside Outlooks. Here’s to embracing priorities that align with your core values and unlocking your boundless potential.
