How do you decide what to do and when to do it? Priorities are a challenge no matter what our life season. Friend and guest blogger Bobi Ann Allen offers HELP below!
Elisa
Three Questions to Ask When Setting Priorities
By Bobi Ann Allen
Run on the treadmill, read my Bible, a night out with the girls, clean the house, feed the dog, volunteer at my child's school, date my husband ... so many choices on how to spend my time, and all of them good! But I can't do them all ... so how do I choose? How do I prioritize my life without losing my mind?
Here's the definition of priority:
pri·or·i·ty
prīˈôrədē/
noun
plural noun: priorities
a thing that is regarded as more important than another.
I could not love that definition more! In my all-consuming world of conflicting demands, how do I decide what to tackle first, second and third? I need to think about the importance of each demand and opportunity.
What are your priorities?
Our priorities are usually apparent in two ways: our schedule and our spending. And then, setting priorities is about knowing and understanding our mission. Why are you here and what do you want to accomplish? Priorities are most effectively born from a mission statement. You can find out how to write one in the link at the bottom of this blog.
Take a minute to consider what your priorities look like and how you would like them to be different. After pinpointing your present priorities, begin to ask these 3 questions in order to make appropriate adjustments:
1. What is your most cherished/important role?
I'd encourage you to stop and grab a paper and pen. Start by writing down all the roles you hold. Are you a worker, sister, friend, mom, wife, chauffeur, chef, banker, daughter, Jesus-follower? You get the idea. List your roles. All. Of. Them.
After making a list of your roles, begin ranking them. Cut up your paper if that helps and begin arranging them in order of importance.
Re-write your list in order of importance.
Recognizing our most important role(s) creates a filter by which we can set our priorities and ultimately determine the rhythm of our lives.
2. What do you want to accomplish in your roles?
Using the list you already created, begin addressing goals for each particular role.
As a mom, my goal is to raise godly men and women. Maybe your goal as an employee is to be recognized for the quality of your work. Whatever your objective, write it down.
Do your goals align with the intentions God has for your role? Do the ways you spend your time and money reflect the end goal? What needs to receive less attention so those items at the top of your list can receive more?
3. How do you want to be remembered?
Make some notes about how you want to be remembered.
Your desired legacy will hopefully mirror your new list of priorities and your life's mission. There is a direct correlation between our priorities and our legacy.
I once heard a pastor say, "No one ever stumbles into godliness."
Choosing to live out a godly life requires intentionality-a mission and purpose.
Setting the course for our lives and legacy requires intentional choices to say "no" to those items further down the list so we can "yes" to our most important roles and goals.
One of the most effective ways I've found to live with intentionality is to ask hard questions and create a mission statement for myself and my family. Click on this link to see how to create your own mission statement.
Bobi Ann Allen is a pastor's wife, ministry leader and mom to 2 silly kids. She fancies long naps and chunky guacamole! You can read more from Bobi Ann and receive practical and inspirational help for daily life and priorities at bobiann.com.