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MY EXPERIENCE | MY EXPERTISE

Tag: priority

  • What is your priority?

    What is your priority?

    The key is to schedule your priority and stick to it.

    Most of the time, we tend to juggle multiple things at the same time. May it be in our personal lives or careers, simultaneous things happen around us. We struggle with what to do first and we tend to do the easier ones or the ones that recently come our way.

    What I’ve learned in my career and in my personal life is that we can only do so much. We can’t do everything. We need to prioritize. And that’s easier said than done. Prioritize. You’ll hear this often from your boss when you start missing deadlines. The real question is not how you prioritize but what is your priority.

    How do you strike a balance between your priorities?

    What is your priority? Knowing that would help you attend to things in your life first. For example, we keep saying that our family is our priority. Well, is it really?

    When you are in a virtual meeting at home and your daughter approaches you and asks to be carried to her bed, what do you do? Do you brush her off or excuse yourself from the meeting? How about having lunch with your family and suddenly your boss calls you or texts you, do you answer right there and then or spend that time with your loved ones?

    When you are done identifying your priority, that’s the only time you can move to how to prioritize and it all boils down to scheduling. In the current virtual world where almost everyone is online, scheduling plays a vital role as your commitments to different people must be attended to without any conflicts.

    If you have scheduled that lunch with your family, just do that. Nothing else. If you are working on your shift, do that. Nothing else. With the list of things you need to do, schedule which ones must be done first and do just that. Nothing else.

    Commit to it

    I’ve seen people mixing things up. Some would be working by replying to emails or texts while spending time with families. Some would not be able to start working on time because they wanted to spend more time with their loved ones. This is okay. If this is your priority, go live your life. Be happy. But keep in mind, we all have commitments to other people, and if that is not met at the time they are expecting it, then we are just telling and showing them that they are not our priorities.

    Prioritization: The Art of Choosing Wisely

    In our fast-paced lives, it’s common to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks and responsibilities we face. Whether it’s work-related projects, family obligations, or personal goals, we often find ourselves juggling multiple things simultaneously. So, how do we navigate this complex landscape and make informed choices?

    Identify Your True Priorities

    Take a moment to reflect on what truly matters to you. Is it your family, career, health, personal growth, or something else? Knowing your priorities is the first step. Consider how each of these areas contributes to your overall well-being and happiness. For instance, if family is your priority, consider how you allocate your time when faced with conflicting demands and make conscious decisions that align with your values and long-term goals.

      The Virtual Meeting Dilemma

      Imagine you’re in a virtual meeting at home, and your daughter asks to be carried to her bed. What do you do? Prioritizing means recognizing that family comes first. Excuse yourself from the meeting briefly to attend to your child. Your colleagues will understand.

        Scheduled Commitments

        Scheduling plays a crucial role in managing priorities. When you allocate time for specific tasks, stick to that commitment. If you’ve scheduled lunch with your family, focus solely on that. If it’s work time, dedicate yourself to work without distractions.

          Avoid Mixing Tasks

          Resist the temptation to multitask excessively. While it’s okay to handle minor tasks simultaneously, avoid major conflicts. For example, don’t reply to work emails during family time. Similarly, don’t let personal matters interfere with work deadlines.

            Communication Matters

            Communicate your priorities to those around you. Let your family know when you’re in work mode and vice versa. When you commit to something, honor it. Consistency builds trust and shows that you value others’ time.

            Mindset Shift

            Embrace the mindset that you can’t do everything. Accept your limitations and focus on what truly matters. Remember, saying “no” to certain tasks or requests is essential for maintaining balance.

                  In summary, prioritize consciously, commit fully, and communicate transparently. By doing so, you’ll align your actions with your true priorities and build stronger relationships both at work and in your personal life.

                  Mastering prioritization is akin to navigating a bustling marketplace. Imagine yourself at a vibrant bazaar, surrounded by colorful stalls, each selling a different commodity. Your time, energy, and focus are your currency, and the choices you make determine the quality of your life’s tapestry.

                  Identifying Priorities: The Compass of Purpose

                  Before diving into prioritization techniques, pause and recalibrate your compass. What truly matters to you? Consider your life’s overarching themes—the grand tapestry you’re weaving. Is it family, career, health, creativity, or personal growth? Acknowledge that priorities evolve; what mattered yesterday may not hold the same weight today. Be honest with yourself, for self-awareness is the cornerstone of effective prioritization.

                  The Art of Prioritization: Unpacking the Toolbox

                  Now, let’s unpack the toolbox of prioritization techniques:

                  • The Eisenhower Matrix: Imagine General Dwight D. Eisenhower, juggling wartime decisions. He categorized tasks into four quadrants:
                    • Urgent and Important: These are your non-negotiables—the deadlines, crises, and health emergencies. Handle them promptly.
                    • Important but Not Urgent: Here lies the fertile ground for growth. Long-term projects, relationship-building, and skill development reside here. Allocate time consistently.
                    • Urgent but Not Important: Beware the deceptive sirens of busyness. Emails, notifications, and minor fires clamor for attention. Delegate or minimize these distractions.
                    • Neither Urgent nor Important: The Bermuda Triangle of wasted time. Avoid it. Say no graciously to invitations that don’t align with your priorities.
                  • The MoSCoW Method: Inspired by Moscow’s rapid transformations, this method categorizes tasks:
                    • Must-Have: Non-negotiable essentials.
                    • Should-Have: Important but flexible.
                    • Could-Have: Desirable, but not critical.
                    • Won’t-Have (for now): Discard or defer.
                  • The 2-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. Clear the mental clutter swiftly.

                  Effective Scheduling: The Dance of Commitments

                  Scheduling is our choreography—a dance of commitments. Here’s how to waltz gracefully:

                  • Digital Calendars: Your partner in time management. Block out chunks for focused work, meetings, and self-care. Color-code for clarity.
                  • Buffer Zones: Life’s traffic jams are inevitable. Create buffer zones—time cushions—for unexpected delays.
                  • Say No with Grace: Politely decline invitations that don’t align with your priorities. Remember, every ‘yes’ is a ‘no’ to something else.
                  • Batching: Group similar tasks. Respond to emails in batches, tackle creative work during your peak hours, and batch errands.

                  Remember, prioritization isn’t about rigid rules; it’s a symphony of choices. Be agile, adjusting as life’s tempo changes. And as you weave your tapestry, balance ambition with humility. The grandest masterpieces emerge from deliberate strokes, not frantic scribbles.

                1. IMPORTANT

                  IMPORTANT

                  What makes me slightly irritated when I am working is when a sudden urgent ask comes up disrupting my flow. Or when I am in the flow and suddenly, a report that I need to complete is not available in the file location where it is supposed to be.

                  I always schedule my tasks. I have a list of priorities that I have on a daily basis and schedule them throughout my day. This way, I don’t miss anything and I get to complete it. It also gets me going as I also don’t want things to pile up because I don’t like cramming. It just creates a toxic feeling for me.

                  The day I wrote this, we had multiple client calls and I always have my day structured on what to do first and what to do next. I was reviewing the data and preparing my talking points when I realized I needed additional data to support my message. This data is available, always, except today, which now makes it almost always, and it stopped me in my tracks. When I asked my team about the file where I could get the needed data, they said it was saved in a different folder. Guess what, I got a little irritated.

                  Another thing that happened is that a person keeps sending me a chat message following up for a summary of the progress of the transition project we are implementing. He even called me during a meeting I was having. I didn’t pick up. I ignored his messages. Why? Because what he is asking for is being sent daily by the team. All he had to do is read it and create his own summary.

                  In Simon Sinek’s book entitled “The Infinite Game, he talks about how those with infinite mindsets are resilient, and that they are ready to adapt to the changing environment because the goal is not to win, it is to keep playing the game. (I haven’t finished the book as of this time so please join me in finishing it.)

                  To me, before we can be resilient and be able to keep playing the game, the regular things we want to do must be stable. You can’t be resilient if you are not breathing. And breathing is automatic. It happens without us thinking. It makes us stable. And when we are stable, we can adapt to anything.

                  What do you think will happen if you attend to every urgent, every ad-hoc, every forsaken concern that vies for your attention? You get to finish their thing and you get stressed out with the mountain of things you still need to do. I had experienced this multiple times when I was just starting in my career and made me work for 12 hours a day.

                  Now, nope. I got my own thing. You got your own thing. Let’s make things work.

                  Don’t always give in to every ask and every distraction and whatever comes your way. Always assess if it is something aligned with what you want to achieve. Is that something urgent that if not done will affect your career or even the organization’s well-being? If not, don’t. Focus on what’s important.

                  Time is a very precious commodity. It is priceless. It is unique and you can only use it once. What you do with your time tells a lot about what kind of person you are as your actions show your priorities and your priorities tell what is in your mind. Words do not have any meaning if your actions do not exhibit it.

                  What’s important for you is yours alone. What’s important for them, is their problem.

                  In the pursuit of personal and professional success, it’s crucial to maintain a clear focus on your goals and aspirations. The modern world is brimming with distractions, requests, and a constant influx of information that can easily derail you from your path. It’s essential to develop the ability to discern which of these demands are worth your time and which are not.

                  Prioritization is the key to efficiency and effectiveness. Not every task that comes your way deserves your immediate attention. Before you decide to act on any request or distraction, pause and evaluate its relevance to your objectives. Ask yourself: Is this task aligned with my long-term goals? Will it contribute to my growth, or is it merely a short-term diversion?

                  Consider the urgency and importance of the task at hand. Urgent matters are those that require immediate attention and are often associated with achieving someone else’s goals. On the other hand, important tasks are those that contribute to your own mission and vision. It’s the important tasks that deserve your focus because they propel you towards your desired future.

                  When faced with a new request, reflect on its potential impact. Will neglecting this task adversely affect your career? Could it harm the well-being of your organization? If the consequences are significant, then it may warrant your attention. However, if the task is neither urgent nor important, it’s wise to set it aside and concentrate on what truly matters.

                  Time management plays a pivotal role in this process. By organizing your day and setting aside dedicated time slots for high-priority work, you can ensure that you’re making progress where it counts. Utilize tools and techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. This will help you visualize where to allocate your time and effort.

                  Self-discipline is another critical factor. The ability to say ‘no’ to non-essential tasks is a powerful skill that will safeguard your time for what’s truly important. It’s not about being inflexible but about being strategic with your commitments. Remember, every minute spent on an irrelevant task is a minute lost on an opportunity to advance your goals.

                  Mindset conditioning is also essential. Cultivate a growth mindset that embraces challenges and learning opportunities. When you view tasks through this lens, you can better assess their value in contributing to your personal development. Tasks that foster new skills or knowledge are often worth pursuing, even if they don’t seem urgent.

                  Gratitude plays a subtle yet profound role in this journey. By being grateful for the opportunities and challenges that come your way, you can maintain a positive outlook. This positivity will help you attract more meaningful engagements and repel trivial distractions.

                  In conclusion, achieving your goals requires a deliberate and thoughtful approach to managing asks and distractions. Assess each task’s alignment with your objectives, prioritize based on urgency and importance, manage your time effectively, exercise self-discipline, condition your mindset for growth, and practice gratitude. By focusing on what’s important, you’ll navigate your path with clarity and purpose, leading to personal fulfillment and professional success. Remember, it’s not about doing more; it’s about doing what’s right for you and your aspirations.