Juggling Priorities
Navigating the Juggle:
I experienced burnout a number of years ago, eventually I got back to normal. Sadly, it took a long time to recover. My realisation is that I was trying to do way too much. I struggled to say no to requests of me and I had no plan to cut back or assess my situation and priorities. I went deeper and deeper into a negative spiral of overcommitment and exhaustion. This ended up with me cutting everything off, family, friends, socialising, and anything else outside of work because that was all that I had space for.
Juggling priorities is an essential part of life balance. different seasons may dictate what those priorities are as highlighted in the story below.
The Delicate Dance:
"Meet Alex – a parent navigating the intricate dance of life. Balancing a thriving career with the demands of school-age children, Alex is committed to their growth, involvement in extracurricular activities, and maintaining a regular fitness routine. Recently, the beloved family dog underwent surgery, adding an extra layer of care responsibilities.
As school holidays approach, Alex faces the challenge of organizing care for the children while preserving precious annual leave for a family trip. Amidst the hustle, there's a lingering dream of starting a business.
The Universal Struggle:
This scenario is a familiar one, resonating with the universal struggle, of juggling multiple priorities. Alex's story mirrors the delicate balancing act many of us strive to master in the grand scheme of life."
This is not an unfamiliar scenario for many people. Life gets busy and there are a lot of priorities that need to be juggled. Take time to work through the following points towards managing your priorities.
“Manage priorities or they will manage you”
Practical Steps for Managing Priorities:
List Your Priorities:
List each of the priorities. Map these against your weekly planner this will help you have clarity about when and how time is spent and if you have enough of it.
Prioritise Wisely:
Rate them from most important/urgent. This will help you become focused on the right priorities. Maintain a degree of adaptability and flexibility to make adjustments as needed.
Explore Alternatives:
Consider 2 to 3 achievable alternative solutions to each priority. Thinking through these will open up other options. Control what you can, think about things you could reschedule, delegate, or eliminate.
Identify Opportunities:
Identify any opportunities in your solutions. As you uncover other opportunities, take time to run them to ground to see if they are possible. Be strategic about your short term and long-term priorities.
Create Space:
Decide which decisions will help you create the most space for you. Having space in your schedule is essential for those unforeseen events. Learn to say no to things that don’t help you in managing your priorities.
Talk it Out:
Talk about this with a person you trust. Trusted people can be used as sounding boards are amazing for talking through things and can help bring clarity.
The Goal of Thinking Time:
The goal of this is to stimulate thinking time. One of the major setbacks to juggling priorities is going from one thing to the next, not allowing time for well thought out solutions.
My 3 Learnings:
I need to manage my life and not let business manage me.
Staying adaptive to my priorities will help me to make necessary adjustments.
I need to create space in life for unexpected events.
Be Kind to Yourself:
You will achieve more by focusing on no more than 3 big life priorities. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself enough time to do this well and recognise and celebrate your progress and achievements.
My 3 Questions for you:
Do you have too many priorities and not enough days?
What is your life balance like?
How can you say no and be adaptable in your priorities?
"The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities."
- Stephen Covey.
"Contact me and let's embark on this journey of intentional living together. Your experiences, insights, and questions are invaluable. I invite you to share your thoughts, challenges, or victories in managing priorities. Whether it's a personal story or a burning question, I'm here to help you discover more and navigate life purposefully. Reach out, and let's make every moment count. Remember daily to, 'Find value in your influence.' Your voice matters, and I'm excited to hear from you!"
Written By: Paul Fawcett.
