The Challenge of Priorities

It is no secret: there are too few hours in the day for us to accomplish all the things we would like to do or need to do. From working to parenting to attending class to completing an internship to finding time for exercise and wellness, we are - quite simply - too busy.

Time management strategies - from planning a schedule to minimizing distractions to using technology - help us be more efficient, and thus achieve more in the same amount of time. This can certainly be helpful in managing our hectic lives. However, let's not confuse time management with time travel or cloning multiple selves. Whereas these science fiction strategies might allow us to complete an unlimited number of tasks, the human reality is that efficiency can only take us so far. There comes a point where we just need to decide what we will do, AND what we won't do. In other words, we need to set priorities.

But how do you decide whether it is more important to work or to go to class? To take your child to soccer practice or to take yourself to the doctor? Such dilemmas are the challenge of priorities.

There are no easy or clear answers to these questions. But you can make a few considerations to inform tough decisions. Consider:

-  What are my goals for the next year? Does this activity move me closer to my goals?

- Does the benefit of doing the activity outweigh the cost of not doing the activity, or vice versa?

- Am I sacrificing my own achievement/wellness in order to support another person, while not being supported in return?

-  Is the amount of activities that I take on each day sustainable in the long run, or do I need to cut back to avoid burnout?

- Is there a strategic way to cut back on the time spent on an activity in the short term without compromising the longer term outcome (such as fewer courses per semester)?

- Are there any major issues dragging you down (emotional imbalance, debt, sour relationships) that can be resolved in the short term with extra time and attention, thereby freeing you up for the longer term?

- Is the activity you are working on just busy work, or are you actually achieving some sort of outcome that moves you forward?

- Are you busy or are you productive?