Knowing your priorities can help you focus, reduce stress, improve productivity, and create a good work life balance.
Prioritizing can be easy when your tasks differ in urgency and importance, but it can become overwhelming when everything seems important and you need to prioritize your priorities.
Enter: this blog post, where I’ve created a list of tried and tested tips on how you can manage your workload and responsibilities, all while enjoying your life (i.e. and not feel overwhelmed!).
- Related: Stop Overworking (podcast)
How To Prioritize When Everything Is Important
The truth is that life is so multifaceted in a really good way.
I love getting invites and I’m sure you do, too.
The downside of having so many opportunities is that, it’s easy to think you need to do everything.
In fact, culture says: do everything for everyone always.
But that leaves you living someone else’s life.
Instead, what I suggest is following the tips below so that you focus on what’s actually most important to you during this season of life, knowing that you are worthy of all of it.
Here’s how to get started prioritizing when everything seems important…
Resources:
- Time Scarcity (blog post)
- Time Management Skills (podcast)
- 3 Steps To Reduce Anxiety For Moms (free course)
Tip 1: Know what season of life you’re in
Knowing the season of life you’re in will help you prioritize more easily.
If you’re in a season of raising babies, then you might decide that even though it’s a life goal of yours to write a book, it makes more sense to wait until your toddlers are in school and some of your time frees up.
You don’t have to ever say “never” but you also don’t need to do everything all at once.
Think about what you want to be a high priority during this season that you’re currently in. And trust that seasons change and so, too, do priorities.
Resources:
- Priorities In Life (blog post)
- Beating Overwhelm (podcast)
- How To Become A More Mindful Mom (free class)
Tip 2: Differentiate between urgent vs. important
Know the difference between urgent tasks and important tasks.
Urgent tasks feel like they need to be done right now.
Examples: the phone rings, an email comes in, someone texts you. These are all urgent tasks.
Important tasks align with your long term goals.
Examples: reading every day, having family meals together, or working on a project you’re interested in.
The key is to always focus on prioritizing your important tasks ahead of the urgent tasks.
Resources:
- 11 Benefits Of Self Discovery (blog post)
- Being Proud Of Yourself (podcast)
- Thursday Inspo (email newsletter)
Tip 3: Put future prioritizes in “the cloud”
Instead of trying to do everything now, put anything that can wait until another season into “the cloud.” This is the long term vision of your life. It’s the “cloud” where your ideas and desires go for when it’s the right season.
I did this when I was in law school. I told myself that my desire to read a lot of personal development books was valid. But that it wasn’t the right season as a law student with hours upon hours of daily legal reading. I picked up the desire from the cloud after I graduated.
You can do this with any season of life you’re in. Put prioritizes in the cloud that can wait.
- Related: Visualizing Your Future Self (podcast)
Tip 4: Be onto your brain
Your brain has a hard time staying focused. And not just your brain—all of our brains.
This means that all it takes is a little bitty distraction and your brain is on to the next shiny object.
When this happens, redirect your brain back to your top priorities (make sure you have them written down), so that you’re not all over the place and spreading yourself too thin.
Resources:
- How To Improve Brain Health (blog post)
- Cleaning Out Your Brain (podcast)
- How To Become More Mindful With Money In Marriage (free course)
Tip 5: Order tasks based on effort
It can be a really good idea to order tasks based on effort.
This way when you’re moving from task to task, you can plan for the amount of effort you’ll use ahead of time.
For example, if you have important tasks that take a lot of effort, you may want to do those first. That way, by the end of the day, you have your easiest and shortest tasks left.
There is no one right way. The key is to plan ahead of time how you want to prioritize instead of falling into the overwhelm trap.
Resources:
- 21 Daily Habits For A Successful Life (blog post)
- Finding Your Purpose (podcast)
- 75 Journal Prompts For Moms (download)
Tip 6: Delegate
One of the best time management tips that I can teach you is to delegate.
Any important work that you don’t need to do can be delegated.
I delegate everything from the cleaning in my home to hiring new team members in my coaching practice. There is nothing too big nor too small that can’t be delegated.
- Related: Confident Communication (podcast)
Tip 7: Be flexible and adaptable
Being flexible and adaptable with your time to work and productivity can actually be very helpful to prioritizing.
This is because you’ll be open to opportunities that present themselves when you’re flexible and adaptable.
Since everything (including you!) is always changing, it’s ever more important to be able to evolve and adapt.
Resources:
- Fall In Love With Yourself (blog post)
- Feeling Empowered (podcast)
- 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
- Grow You (virtual life coaching for moms)
BONUS:
Here is a list of some of the best Prioritizing Methods:
1. Eisenhower Matrix
This focuses on prioritizing your tasks based on urgency. It is a simple, four box matrix that allows you to categorize your tasks into one of the four choices which are Do, Delegate, Decide, and Delete. You find read more on this here: Eisenhower Matrix
2. Ivy Lee Method
This method focuses on writing down six of the most important tasks you need to complete the next day. Only six. Then from there, you prioritize them so you can achieve them successfully the next day. You start with task one and work your way down your list not moving on to number two until one is complete and so on. You can read more on that here: Ivy Lee Method.
3. ABCDE Method
This method focuses on setting short term priorities. Then, you use the letters, ABCDE to prioritize tasks from most important to what you can eliminate. It’s simple, yet effective and all you need is paper and a pen. More on ABCDE method from Brian Tracy here.
4. Getting Things Done
Founded by David Allen, the Getting Things Done method focuses on bringing order to your life and eliminating chaos. You can read more about it here.
A Final Note!
By thinking the thought “everything is important” you end up feeling stuck (and you’ll waste time!).
Instead, remember that “everything is figureoutable” (as Marie Forleo says). You can prioritize your work AND you can make the highest priority your family.
You were made for this, my friend.