4 Practical Tips to Achieve Your Goals With Ease
Be flexible when choosing your priorities.
Every day we try to solve our personal priority puzzle.
The problem we face is the level of importance we’ve assigned to the people, things, and activities in our life. Trying to juggle them all at once can produce an ever-changing maze of frustration, conflicts, and circuitous loops — not an ideal situation for getting things done.
So how do we put all the pieces together to create a cohesive and balanced picture?
Here’s a short story from my childhood that, in retrospect, has helped provide the wisdom and insight I needed to determine my priorities.
When I was growing up, most of the families on our block had lots of kids
In the conservative Midwest that was the norm and, during our adolescent wonder years, it was easy to put together softball teams, pool parties, and picnics in the local park.
One of our neighbors had ten children
They lived directly behind us, and our backyards shared a see-through chain-link fence. On any given afternoon, it wasn’t unusual for me and my siblings to “flip the fence” to play with our friends.
I didn’t know it, but at the time, that family had a mom who was a master at having her priorities in place — every day. Because her life was split in ten different directions, not counting her husband and the dog.
As I look back in hindsight and with a bit of admiration, I realize her strategy for prioritizing was direct and straightforward
She summed it up pretty well one day when her youngest daughter asked which of her children was her favorite.
Her answer? “The one who needs me most.”
Pretty great advice back then — and even now.
The truth about priorities is they’re always shifting and changing
As much as we believe we can align our time, effort, and resources in a specific and set order, the reality is usually very different.
Life requires more than a little bit of flexibility. It demands we occasionally bend deeply, or even step aside.
Here are four suggestions for managing your own fluctuating priority puzzle, regardless of how the day goes.
1. Separate your priorities from your goals
Here’s the difference: Accomplishing your goals is the result of lining up your priorities to achieve the desired outcome.
This means your priorities need to reflect the end in mind — in other words, they’re steps toward your ultimate goals. And if your goals change — which they often do — your priorities will need to adjust to match those decisions.
2. Only choose a few projects to focus on at a time
The reason most people are unsuccessful in completing their most important priorities is they take on too many at once.
If you overload your list — and your brain — with a multitude of activities, it’s likely you’ll fail to finish any of them. And the ones you do manage to complete will typically not be done well.
3. Reassign the importance of your priorities
As your priorities are completed — finished steps toward achieving your goals — remove them from the list. If they require monitoring or periodic review, you can schedule that process for a later date. They’re still important, but not as vital as another priority that’s calling for attention.
For example, your priority might be to eat healthier and exercise three times a week. Incorporating these habits into your lifestyle may take time. But once you’ve established discipline and routine — and your goals are being met — you can take this priority off the list and replace it with the next most important task.
As you continue to cycle priorities, you’ll begin to consciously concentrate on achieving them.
4. Define what a priority really is — for you
For example, you may want to spend more time with family, save a little money every month, get more sleep, watch less TV, or limit time on social media.
They’re all worthy goals, however, the key is to separate the real priorities from dreams or fantasies that will take more work, time, or sacrifice than you’re willing to make.
Making your life a workable, happy experience is a matter of considering all the options — all the pieces of the puzzle — and deciding what you want the picture to look like when it’s finished.
Instill a mindset of flexibility to open the gates for new input, new skills, and new goals.
© 2020 Jill Reid. All Rights Reserved.
Related Articles:
Join my email list and stay in touch.
Jill Reid is a writer, founder of Pathway to Personal Growth, and editor of Real Life. Her articles explore life, happiness, self-improvement, health, productivity, and personal success strategies for living longer and stronger through positive lifestyle choices.
