As you know, I am a planner and love all things about organizing. I saw a planner page someone had titled, “Priorities.”
It made me think….
Can you have more than one priority? If so, at what point do “priorities” no longer become a priority?
I heard an interesting fact this week. It centers around the word “priority” and “priorities” and their origin. This prompted me to do some checking.
The word “priority” originated in the 1400s. It is a Latin word meaning first or prior thing. The word “priorities” came into being in the 1900s. So, for 500 years, everyone understood a priority to be one thing.
By using the word “priorities” then, nothing would be first. If a priority is the first thing, then priorities must be the top of the list? Are they more important than other items? Is there a limit?
Those that are list makers, like me, often find their lists packed with more than we are capable of. Stretching the list beyond our capacity limits our success. It leaves us feeling that no matter how many things we check off, it is never enough.
When I don’t finish all the important things on my list, it weighs me down. Unproductive feelings of failure, fatigue, and futility result. In contrast, if I have my priority set, my one thing identified, my focus is on that. The singular priority ensures that I do it, even through normal daily distractions.
CONCLUSION: Establishing and focusing on your priority daily ensures progress. It’s realistic and doable. So, keep it simple and don’t overdo it. Less is more.
Take a few moments to use these steps to get back to basics and set your priority.
START with a blank page –clear away the clutter and begin fresh.
BUILD your master list – write down all the things you would like to do this week.
IDENTIFY your priority for that day
FOCUS to complete your priority item first before moving to other items.