The Real Priorities

I am guilty of trying to accomplish more than what I can. Over the years I have push, organize, work harder and eventually sadly some things had failed. Some projects that I don't really care, and some that I care a lot for.

The reason some of this projects had failed is because they weren’t real priority. The real priority is the thing for witch you will stop doing other things in order to do accomplish that. For some people is reading, for others is TV, for some is their family; regardless what it is, that's the real priority, and if you pay attention you will find witch one it is yours.

When I was working on an office environment, my priority was play with my baby when I arrived home every night. When I got home, I hang up the phone, and pay attention to her, I didn't care about anything else. I didn't succeed 100%, but was pretty successful.

In 2010 I made finish my first novel a real priority (I finally released my novel on May 2011. It's called The Writer, for more information click here) I stop doing other things so I could finish it, I stop doing many things, it was something important for me to accomplish, it was a priority. I wrote a lot, I wrote early or late when people went to sleep, I wrote on planes, and many little times I had, that was not my first priority, but an important one.

Yesterday, listening to the last episode 17 of 'Back to Work' with Merlin Mann and Dan Benajmin, Merlin said that a priority is not something that you need to have done, or must be done, a priority is something for witch you will stop or not do other things.

For the longest time, I didn't understand the concept of scarcity, understand that I only have a limited amount of hours. One of my priorities in life is make my daughter happy, and I know it is a priority because I am willing to stop doing things to spend time with her. For me is a priority to write, because I am willing not to read (one of my favorite things to do in the world) so I can write a little. I am willing to stop doing many things, in order to spend some time writing.

For me it's not a priority, (at least not any more) to live in a museum home, I don't care anymore that the house is not perfect, I don't care if people stop by and the house is not pristine, because for me is more important spend time with my daughter, because I prefer to write, those are priorities for me, my wife, my daughter, my writing, everything else, is not a real priority, sorry, and because of that, everything else will suffer, because I will be willing to sacrifice everything else in order to give a chance to my real priorities.

 

The question now, is what are your real priorities, I had a friend, that his higher priority is to play golf, I like golf, but not like him, he will be out sunny, wet, cold or hot, every chance he had, he will not do things in order to play golf, that's his priority, I have a friend that love her house pristine, clean and impeccable. Even when my home is pristine, feels dirty next to her home. For her is a priority to have her house that way, and she will stop doing things in order to have her house that way.

What are your real priorities, what are the two or three things that you will stop doing things in order to do those, what will make everything else behind because those need to be done, what will get late, not be done, and procrastinating about in order to finish those things, those are your real priorities, for some people is their work, for others is cooking, for others is reading or cleaning the house, everything else in your lists are not, are things you must do, or should do, or will so someday, but they are not priorities, your priorities are written in your heart, you don't need any reminder and everything else will wait in order for those to be done.

 

Comments

[Maripat]

Great post, Augusto. You've put into words what I've been finding out myself these last few years. I'll drop anything for my husband and kids, even now that they are all grown. Someone gave me a plaque when I had my first child. It became my mantra. It is as follows:
"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow
For babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow,
So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."
As a parent I could list hundreds of things that "don't keep" like piano recitals, little league games, speech contests, proms and on and on. We've given up a lot over the years but nothing compares to what we've made the time for. Your family, too, is richly blessed for knowing this concept.

[Augusto Pinaud]

Thanks for the Comment Maripat. It's a challenge and we are learning much.

Before my daughter I never experience so much scarcity on time, my energy levels are not the same (she is so full of energy and drain me fast) so I have to re-learn more stuff.

This is the reason I have been re-thinking on my priorities, because I have so much behind that's not funny, and I was feeling bad, until I understood, that I was stressing for the stuff that wasn't priority, then, I relax, smile, and move forward.

thanks for the comment.

[Margaret]

Augusto - great post. I shared your last paragraph with the GTD-DC MeetUp group last week (and how they could find it). I realized after reading it last month how much has changed. i realized I really, really wanted to be getting better on my cello and have, almost "automatically" started regularly playing duets with another string player and started taking lessons again. And practicing? No problems - other things can wait, but practicing every day, even for a little bit, "doesn't keep" and has to be attended to. Thanks!

[Augusto Pinaud]

I am so happy and glad that you like this post, and more importantly that you were able to see the real priority and work towards it.

Have a great rest of the week!