Three ways you can make prioritization more actionable and systemic so you can move closer to your goal
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Three ways you can make prioritization more actionable and systemic so you can move closer to your goal
Apply these to your current or future project list
Hello friend!
Welcome to this week’s Super Sunday!
Today I want to share with you few insights on prioritization, knowing that this is the most impactful yet most difficult step for your personal growth.
Let’s dive straight in!
Why prioritize?
The fact of the matter is we all get the same 24 hours in a day.
While we have personal needs towards ourselves and those we love, we are left with only handful of hours to truly create the life we want.
Time is a tricky phenomenon.
It is finite but can also expand, multiply, slow, and speed up.
However, one thing is for sure; it cannot be reclaimed or recreated.
It is wise to be very effective in using tiume, especially when it can easily be wasted in today’s hyperactive and always-on lifestyle.
When we prioritize we feel our time is well spent - this creates a level of meaning due to purposeful action.
LIfe application:
Use the Pareto Law to help you select your most important tasks/actions.
As we talked before, Pareto Law states that 80% of the output is generated by 20% of the input. That is, you can 4X your impact but simply paying attention to those 20% inputs whether in your diet, your relationship, your personal project, or even your career.
Like with anything, it is all about experimenting and enjoying the process as you try and fail+succeed.
In the age of information overload - knowing your true values is the compass that guides you
Information is cheap.
In fact, it is outright free and everywhere nowadays.
AI has already shown the possibilities of how much information is available online, and that’s just the beginning.
With this information surplus, the inevitable decline will be the available attention.
When our attention is not ours to maintain, then we can be easy victims to mass marketing and ideologies that may not align with our core values.
This creates a conflict that, more often than not is realized after much time has been lost, and sometimes when it is too late to do something about it.
Instead, it is important to understand your true values so choices can be made inline with your authentic self.
Discipline is simply clarity on the why - once values are clear, choosing and sticking to the choice is a natural by-product
Life application:
Fast forward to your 80th birthday, where your family and friends are celebrating you and what you’ve contributed so far.
What would you want them to say you showed up with? List them and do it from the perspective of each individual group (wife, children, society, friends, colleagues, etc..)
This list of attitudes/characteristics are your true values - when looking at the one-hundred-and-one things to do today, use these values as a lens through which you can filter out what doesn’t truly matter.
Decide and cut off all other options
DECIDE; Latin from De-Caedere, to Cut-Off.
When you decide, you cut off all other options.
You can’t decide without having to go ALL-IN (i.e. don’t half-ass it).
When you truly decide you muster all your energy towards that one decision and that cuts through like a sharp laser.
You create truly impactful action that moves you forward.
And that’s all you need; to move forward.
Because if your decision is right, you’re one step closer to your goal.
And if your decision is wrong, you’re one step closer to knowing what doesn’t work so you can move to what works.
This is why it is important to spend less time thinking and more time actioning. Instead, we are used to spending TOO MUCH time theorizing and less time actioning.
It is so obvious yet very hard to do because of our previous conditioning.
True, it is hard but it is not impossible, thanks to the fact that our brains do continue to grow and we can create new conditions.
Life application:
Create a list of things you want to do, prioritize them based on their importance (Pareto) and alignment to your values, select the first thing on the list and cross out the rest.
Take action on this thing before moving onto the next.
No what ifs, no negotiations, just taking solid and real action.
If you’re having difficulty moving forward, reach out and maybe we can explore those challenges together.
For now, I want to thank you for reading and taking this time to prioritize your growth.
Have a Super Sunday! 💪
With much joy,
Hashim
PS. I’ve started adding “life application” section above, let me know if that’s something you find valuable or if you prefer a reflective question instead.
Three ways you can make prioritization more actionable and systemic so you can move closer to your goal
I like the forwardness in todays article, especially since most people nowadays do not put their all into what they're doing. Using value as a lens is a very useful tip that gives people a new perspective when it comes to their priorities.
I like the exercise where you ask yourself what would you like others to say on your 80th birthday. Very impactful. Another one would be to imagine what people would say at one's funeral! Thank you for sharing :)