In today’s madcap digital age every one of us is blasted with constant information, tasks, work, and every now and again the attempt at a social life. But, I’m tired of hearing people say they don’t have enough time. I’m even tired of hearing myself say it. We all have 24 hours in each day, not more, not less. So rather than the time itself, it’s more about what we choose to do with that time.
We always have time for what we make a priority.
That being said, we always have time for what we make a priority.
If I never seem to “have time” to make it to the gym, or respond to that email my best friend wrote three weeks ago, then it’s simply not a priority, as hard as it may be to admit it.
At university, during those vicious finals weeks, there were times when I would “not have time” to even take a shower or catch a meal. One of my closest friends would ritually end up in the hospital at the end of every finals week suffering from exhaustion. Why? because the exams, projects, papers took priority over maintaining a healthy life (even if just for a week).
If everything is a top priority, then nothing is.
I used to have a manager who I respected in more ways than one. He was brilliant with out-of-the-box ideas and his enthusiasm was contagious. However, structure wasn’t always his strong suit. When he would give the team a list of tasks for the week, we would ask, “What is the top priority?” and he would respond with “They are all priorities.” I think we all know that if everything is a top priority, then nothing is.
So I changed my question to my former manager. What should I do first? The answer cannot be “all of them.” That’s when the priority list falls into place. This goes for everything.
What is the most important for you?
If your priorities each day are to start the day looking perfect in every way, bring in three big deals, go out with colleagues, have dinner with friends, work out at the gym, prepare food for the rest of the week, clean the house, do the dishes and laundry, and finish that novel that’s been sitting the coffee table…then it’s safe to say that not all of us can do all that in one day. (I admit there are a few superheroes walking among us, but I’m referring to the majority, myself included).
What is the most important for you? What fills you with pride or accomplishment? These end up being our priorities and if they aren’t then we need to switch things up.
This applies not only to the holistic work-life dyad, but also to work in a more specific sense. If you’ve been trying to meet a colleague for ages and they keep telling you they don’t have time, what they are really saying is that you are not a priority. We all do it. But once we recognise it’s happening, it makes it so much easier to manage and work with. If that person you’ve been trying to meet just won’t set aside the time, then try and figure out why it’s not a priority and that will help you figure out how to make yourself their priority.
We make these decisions consciously or subconsciously.
We make these decisions consciously or subconsciously. If we don’t actively recognise what we are prioritising, then we end up spending time on things that are not as important to us. There is an easy solution: just think first about what is the top priority and then make sure that time is allocated to that, whatever it may be.
We always have time for what we make a priority.
