3 key questions to ask yourself when setting priorities in life

Ever wondered what setting priorities are all about? Priorities are those things that are most important in your life and you put ahead of other events and responsibilities that you have. The idea is that you may or may not be able to get everything done, but if you focus on the things that are most important to you then you at least know they will get done.

Often times we get so focused on doing things that we forget to look at what we are doing and see what is actually important to us. By looking at our tasks and putting more energy into the things that we care about and less energy into things that we don’t we end up making sure that we get the biggest projects done no matter what happens. Throughout our lives we get hit with big decisions and responsibilities. It is up to us to determine what we need to get done first, what we can put off until later, and what we should completely overlook.

Here are three questions to ask yourself when setting priorities in life or at work.

1. What Has to Get Done Now?

Some things can wait until later, others can’t. One of the methods you can use to decide what you are going to do first is to simply figure out when you have to get it done by. If you have to get something done tomorrow then obviously it should take priority over something that you have two weeks to get done. Urgency is an important thing to consider when setting priorities in life.

2. What is Important To You?

As humans we tend to focus on things as they pop up. We want to move towards what is new and fix every issue as they arise. But if you are only reacting to the world around you then you are not creating your world. You have to make time for whatever it is you want to be successful at today and every other day until you eventually succeed. Think of how much you can get done in life if you do at least one thing a day to help you reach your goals.

If you truly know where you want to stand your ground in life and you are dedicated to making your dreams a reality then it will help you to make it a priority to stay active and do things for it on a regular basis regardless of what else is going on in your life.

3. What Can You Avoid Doing?

We are brought up to believe that avoiding doing something is a bad idea and that effective people get everything done. But sometimes you have to decide when something is just not worth your time. Even if something is urgent, if it is not important to helping you grow or to achieving your goals in life then it is really taking away from time you could have spent doing something else. That is why some things are just better if they are taken down your to-do list (if you can) or delegated to someone else.

Of course not all things can be avoided, but it definitely wise to look for ways around doing the things in life which are not that important to you and just distract you.