Prioritizing Your Life
What are your “big rocks”? Clearing the debris and creating goals.
by Krista Wells, The Military Spouse Coach®
Time is one resource that is always in short supply. Since we have no control over time, we must reflect on our behavior, own our attitude and scrutinize our “obligations.” Dr. Krista Wells is The Military Spouse Coach® and Military Spouse magazine’s professional career and life coach. This issue, she shares how identifying our priorities and allotting time accordingly will help us live out our life-vision.
As military wives, we have the responsibility of supporting our service members while maintaining a focused commitment to that which makes our hearts sing. We can accomplish a great deal if we manage our behavior, attitude and obligations with regard to our goals in life and our established purpose.
You might have heard of the 80/20 rule in business—80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. I would suggest that this goes for our personal lives, as well. So often I see spouses pushing themselves, scheduling busier and busier lives, creating unnecessary stress and pressure on themselves as things pile up at work and home. If we structure our lives and align our energy toward what is most important, we find the energy to push worry aside and deal with issues more efficiently.
Have you set priorities for your life? One of my workshop participants identified her priorities as maintaining physical health, spending quality time with her children and being outdoors. She no longer felt obligated to participate in activities that were not in alignment with her values, which created new space in her schedule. She decided not to watch television in the mornings and instead started an early-morning running club with other mothers in her neighborhood. She made a decision to identify her “big rocks” and shift priorities to align with what really mattered in her life.
So, What Are Your Big Rocks?
What are the three “big rocks” in your life? What really matters to you? What meaningful tasks are you putting off? Identify your top three rocks and consider how much time you will spend on each every week.
What does your “sandy debris” look like? What “busy work” do you engage in that sidetracks you from life’s significant priorities? What changes can you create to free-up energy and redirect it toward more meaningful habits?
What helps you keep these “big rocks” in the forefront? Perhaps it is something as silly as placing a pretty, hand-painted rock on your desk at work. Maybe it’s a note by the phone that says, “Pause before saying yes to ‘little pebbles.’”
Does your calendar reflect your “big rocks”? No excuses—get out your calendar or daily planning device and block off at least one afternoon to conquer tasks directly related to one of those three “big rocks” in your life.