Most of us work on multiple goals simultaneously, which is completely normal. But at the end of the day, not every goal we have will get the same amount of time and attention. Where we place our focus depends on where we are in our lives and what is most important to us at the moment.
I tend to organize my goals into different categories. For example. I have things I work toward in the areas of health, faith, business, personal growth, etc. For me, this approach speaks to my desire to be a well-rounded person and to cultivate the life I want. But from time to time, this can feel overwhelming, especially if I don’t take the time to really think about what’s most important. You see, I may be able to work on 6 different areas simultaneously…but I CAN’T prioritize them all. And when I try to? I end up not being successful in any area!
So how do I overcome this? By determining my priorities and planning accordingly. For example, I may want to eat better, go to the gym, read for personal growth, nurture my friendships, volunteer more, create more resources for my clients, meet potential collaborators, reorganize my home, etc. But if just READING the list feels exhausting, I KNOW that trying to do all those things at once makes no sense. Instead, I must decide what is most pressing or important to me RIGHT NOW and start there. Now this doesn’t mean the other things aren’t important or won’t be prioritized; it just means that right now is not the time to put them on the front burner, so to speak. And by limiting my focus to my top priorities? I free up the mental energy needed to take the action to achieve the things I want!
If setting priorities is one of the keys to successfully going after what we want, then one question remains: How do we decide what our priorities should be?
Tap into your core values.
When we know what we value most deeply, it makes our decision-making MUCH easier. Not sure what your core values are? You can do a quick and easy exercise to find out! In fact, I have one that I’d be happy to share; just message me or comment below!
Take stock of the present landscape.
It can be important to align our priorities to where we are and what’s going on in our lives. Recovering from an injury or illness? Now might not be the right time to go all-in on a fitness goal. Working extra hours on a big work project? Maybe signing up for a class that meets 3 times a week isn’t the best move. Look at the things you’re looking to do and which ones make sense for you right now.
Trust that not now doesn’t mean not ever.
I think we often avoid prioritizing certain goals over others because we feel like they’re ALL important and we don’t want to neglect any of them. But we know doing it all isn’t an effective approach, so we must remind ourselves that just because something isn’t a priority now doesn’t mean it won’t ever be. At the end of the day, taking a “some now, some later, and some much later” approach will actually help us accomplish more in the long run than trying to do everything right away.
And if you want to dig into this a little bit deeper? Let’s hop on a free call and identify the right next step for you to focus on😊
