The most important step in prioritizing goals is not prioritizing them at all.
Here’s why.
Society has socially conditioned us to approach life as if we’re robots when we’re everything but.
Hold on, hear me out, goal-friends!
Determining what milestones you want to reach is a great way to take up the reins and steer your life in the right direction. Trust me, there’s nothing wrong with taking a proactive approach.
I actually encourage it. It’s positive, beneficial, and doesn’t allow life to knock us down more times than we would like.
However, when goal setting we instinctively jump to making timelines and setting deadlines to determine how and when we will reach them.
Doing this seems like the logical first step, but it’s not always effective.
Every January, we purchase a shiny new planner to start the year off right. We plan out each month to a tee, from setting new goals, creating vision boards, taking 30-day challenges, and writing out action plans.
But can you recall how many of those monthly goals you actually reach each year?
How successful were you in crossing out the tasks on your daily and weekly goal planning lists?
Out of habit, I stick with a new planner for the first quarter of the year, then abandon it by quarter three. Yes, I am admitting to this.
Restricting ourselves to rigid plans and remaining chained to to-do lists isn’t the best way to go.
Slow down, take a breath, and relax. Prioritize goals based on your body’s rhythms and routines.
Each day, I ask myself, what do I feel up to doing rather than what I have to get done. This strategy eliminates stress and prevents procrastination.
It puts my mind at ease and I actually look forward to completing my daily routines.
Your goals shouldn’t hover above you like a dark cloud. Dreading the action steps it takes to reach them just prolongs the time to achieve them.
So, why not make the goal prioritization process easier on ourselves?
Look at your list. Most productivity tips advise you to pick the most arduous task to complete at the beginning of your day when your energy level is high and cognitive ability is still sharp, but I have to disagree.
Speaking from a woman’s perspective, there are just some days you feel like doing absolutely nothing.
And guess what? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Whether you’re setting goals for the day or months ahead, simply ask yourself, what do you need to or feel like achieving next?
What are goals and priorities?
Goals directly result from the efforts and ambitions people put towards attaining a specific thing. They’re set based on an individual’s desires or needs, and they often put an action plan in place to achieve them.
Priorities help us determine what things are more important to focus on or deal with over others. They are important because they dictate how and when we’ll reach certain goals.
The goal-setting process is like a ladder composed of many distinct steps, listed in order of priority, that helps us progress toward our goals at the very top.
What is the purpose of an action plan?
Action plans make sure the goals we set are realistic and that we, ultimately, have a blueprint to follow.
Action plans comprise steps that are strategically listed in order of priority to help us get measurable results towards achieving a particular goal.
We develop action plans after setting goals to act as a guide that will lead us to the finish line.
Action plans can be your own personal playbook or roadmap you can reference to make sure that you’re staying on track and not taking a detour from your intentional goals.
They are necessary for holding us accountable, but can also serve as a valuable resource we can use when revisiting goals we weren’t able to reach.
When used properly, action plans ensure our goals are clear, realistic, and measurable.
Is an action plan needed for setting goals daily? Not necessarily.
However, breaking down daily goals into action steps or tasks we can quickly check off in a few days makes us more effective in accomplishing the mission we embarked on for the week.
What is the most likely consequence of setting unrealistic goals?
Burn out. If I could shout this from the mountain tops, I would.
There’s nothing worse than taking hours to brainstorm, organize, and map out every single personal and professional goal to not meet any of them, because the expectations of our output are way too high.
Can we have a realistic conversation for a minute, ladies?
Sometimes, we have a tendency to push ourselves much too hard, because we’re suffering from shiny new object syndrome or getting distracted by all the things that aren’t meant for us.
All too often, we take our eyes off of our own paper and fixate them on others.
We’re switching lanes and taking shortcuts and embarking on journeys that have nothing to do with the intentional goals we’ve already set.
We watch the highlight reels on social media and wonder why we aren’t seeing the fruits of our labor or results in one day.
Most people on social media don’t share the journey or behind the scenes of what they went through to get where they are.
Imagine stumbling across the profile page of someone you aspire to be as successful as and their business has ran for 15 years. You’re on chapter 15 of their journey, while you’re only on chapter one.
It’s best to stay the course rather than allow the false promises of others to mislead you.
Whatever you do, avoid the shortcuts.
Stop pushing yourself to the limit to get somewhere faster than someone else when the destination remains the same.
5 tips to reach your monthly goals:
- Go at your own pace.
- Be realistic about the time and effort you can spend on certain tasks.
- Work towards one goal at a time, not multiple.
- Learn the skills necessary that will help you reach your goals faster and more efficiently.
- Get a mentor who can guide you instead of going at it alone.
Envision the most important steps of prioritizing goals in life as an upside-down pyramid, similar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Self-actualization is at the very top of the pyramid and the very last step to be achieved once we enter adulthood. I imagine it takes quite some time to become self-actualized, and it’s something many of us don’t reach until we’re further along in life.
However, there are priorities we need to focus on in order to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
Life’s short, so having a guide to follow to make sure we’re making the most out of the time we have now is important.
What are the top 10 priorities in life?
- Purpose
Why are you here?
Some people discover their life purpose very early in life while others, unfortunately, don’t discover it at all.
We all have a mission to fulfill, whether we take on roles as parents, teachers, nurses, lawyers, authors or doctors.
There’s a connection between each one of us. We can identify our life’s mission through the impact we have on others while we’re here and long after we’re gone.
As humans, we all have different road maps to follow, with paths that were carved out long before we were born. It’s up to us to choose which way to go.
You have sovereignty over creating a vision for your life and making it your reality. It’s the journey that helps us discover our purpose in life.
- Self-Care
Self-care and the self-preservation of our mental and physical health are two things we need to maintain at all times. Our bodies require daily nourishment, and we need to remain active to stay fit.
Leading stress free lives is important for protecting our mental health. A safe environment at home, at work, and in the communities we dwell in is vital. T
here are many factors that contribute to the type of lifestyles we live.
Therefore, it’s necessary to check in with yourself daily. Assess your moods and get down to the root cause of why you’re not feeling your best.
Are you staying hydrated (external link about water)?
Is a poor diet affecting your performance? Is an inadequate amount of exercise and rest attributing to weight gain and higher stress levels?
Are the people in your circle uplifting and positive?
Do you feel at ease or under duress at work?
Do you live in an area that fosters community with neighbors who are warm and inviting?
Believe it or not, all these things contribute to our overall health and well-being.
Take time out of your day to focus on you. Journal and meditate each morning.
Go for a long walk on lunch and grab an energy inducing snack in the afternoon.
Set personal boundaries at home, with coworkers at the office, and find a place to live that is welcoming and prioritizes safety above anything else.
Your quality of life comes down to the decisions you make. One of them is putting yourself first.
- Fostering Relationships
“What about your friends???” T-L-C said it best, goal-friends!
Imagine having everything you want in the world but no one to share it with.
Our relationships and friendships make us who we are, and while some only stick around for a season, special people walk into our lives for us to learn, to love more, and to grow.
This is exactly why we shouldn’t take the relationships we have with friends and family for granted.
So, the next time you contemplate cancelling another coffee date, spending quality time with your kids for overtime at work, or not visiting an elder – ask yourself, what would you do if you could no longer hear or see them again?
Time is something we can never get back. Cherish the experiences and memories you can create with your friends and loved ones while they are still around.
Prioritize supporting and showing love to someone every day (make a ‘love list’ if you need to).
Don’t be so quick to reject invites from friends.
Pay the elders in your family a surprise visit to check in on them from time to time.
These are precious moments you may never get back.
- Meaningful Careers
Many people make the mistake of letting jobs or what they do to earn a living define who they are. Sorry to break it to you guys, but we are so much more than that.
You do not have to love your desk job or career. There’s a small percentage of people who are fortunate enough to get paid to do what they love.
It doesn’t happen for many, but that shouldn’t stop us from pursuing our dreams or finding meaning in the work that we do.
First things first, you should be grateful that you have a stream of income or multiple side hustles (internal link) that allow you to provide for yourself.
No matter the industry, understand that when you clock in for work, you are providing a service to someone who genuinely appreciates you.
If you’re a nurse caring for the sick and shut in, a hairdresser that builds up the self-esteem of clients, or a store clerk packing the shelves with food, remind yourself daily that your skill set and what you do for others is valuable, too.
- Financial Stability
Being in debt isn’t fun for anyone, but shifting your mindset to believe that you can get yourself out of it is key.
Financial stability is security. Creating a monthly budget, investing, and growing your savings are three ways you can get your finances in order. To remain financially stable, you have to be responsible and conscience of your spending habits.
The ability to provide for yourself and purchase things you desire should be at the top of your priority list in life.
Achieving financial independence for women in today’s society is more important now than never.
We no longer have barriers that prevent us from doing so. Take advantage of the educational opportunities afforded to you.
We now have access to resources and various passive and active income opportunities that will enable us to reach our monetary goals.
- Community
“Don’t do life alone.” I once heard a pastor advise this while listening to a sermon once. Now I use it as a reminder whenever I fall into a funk or want to hide out in my cocoon.
We all experience days when we want to spend time alone. It’s necessary and completely normal for people to carve out time to either reset or recharge.
But a supportive circle of friends or a professional network that you can trust and depend on when life gives you lemons is much needed, too.
They’re the fuel in the engine that keeps us going.
They’re the community we lean on when we experience grief over a loss, miss out on an opportunity, or need resources we cannot access on our own.
Friends, family, and mentors keep us motivated and focused when we stumble upon roadblocks along the way.
Do you have a professional network or social group you can lean on when times get tough?
Building a community of positive people that will catch you when you fall should be a priority in life, but it’s even more important for them to share a vision that aligns with yours.
- New Experiences
Following routines day in and day out can make life feel a little …mundane.
Sometimes, you just need to see, hear, or smell something new.
Our vacations don’t have to be planned around the seasons. You can book an experience right in your backyard.
It doesn’t have to be an elaborate trip overseas, but a neighborhood tour you haven’t explored in your local area or trying an activity outside of your comfort zone.
Prioritize your week by slotting in time to visit a new restaurant, see a museum exhibit, or go on a glamping trip with your partner or close friends on the weekend.
- Pay It Forward
Although you may have great relationships with family and friends, a pleasant home, and a successful career, there will come a point in your life when you wonder how you can make a greater impact on the world.
Realistically, the average person doesn’t possess the power or connections needed to solve all the issues plaguing their community, but we can make a difference in the lives of those in proximity to us.
There are many schools, non-profit organizations, associations, and clubs that are dedicated to uplifting the less fortunate, unprivileged, and underrepresented.
Each day we should prioritize helping others, being a good samaritan, or improving the quality of life for someone else.
Volunteering creates a sense of belonging, but also provides a way for us to indulge in our purpose.
Make sure you’re setting aside time to reach back and help those that coming up behind you.
- Personal Development
Self-improvement never gets old.
You should always strive to be a better person than you were the day before.
Instead of competing with others or mulling over past mistakes, take an inventory of the various areas in your life that need a little tender love and care.
Maybe you can benefit from attending therapy sessions to improve your mental health or trying a new Pilates class to get back in shape.
It’s never too late to learn something new.
Pick up a unique hobby or take a class to improve your skills. Face your fears and take a few risks for a change.
Switching things up a bit makes life more exciting and enjoyable.
Be selfless, own your mistakes, voice your opinion, go after what you want, and indulge in things that bring a smile to your face.
- Happiness
Everyone wears happiness differently.
It’s often defined or attached to the attainment of monetary things, but for many, happiness is simply rolling out of bed in the morning, having a best friend to call on, or enjoying the simple pleasures in life.
The only person who should be able to determine your happiness is you.
One of the top priorities in life is taking control of your own destiny.
You’re the designer of your life.
You should be able to envision the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and who will be there waiting for you.
Thinking yourself happy on days when you’re feeling low helps as well.
Getting back to happy is the ultimate priority.
I teach entrepreneurs how to simplify their life and business with less + own their time and maximize productivity towards their personal and monetary goals.
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