Have you ever heard anyone say “There’s just not enough time to get everything done?” “The world is just going so fast.” “Technology is making life so hard.” “The faster I go the behinder I get.” The rate of change we are experiencing today does make it seem like the world is going faster. But we can deal with this and get things done if we will set some priorities.
A priority is a choice. Every time you choose to do one thing before another in your life you’re establishing priorities. One activity has been assigned greater importance than another activity. Your priorities should be to do those things that will lead you to the accomplishment of your goals. Many people do a lot of things, work hard, and still don’t accomplish their goals. They don’t have an objective, organized, common sense understanding of how what we do today relates to tomorrow, next week, next year or what they want in life. If you want to be sure to achieve your goals, you must work backward from the desired achievement. In order to do this, I will first have to do that. Before I do that, I must do this. Go all the way back to where you are right now. What do you need to do now?
What we do or don’t get done is a result of our habits…many of which began in childhood and have carried on with us throughout the rest of our lives. Some are beneficial; others are destructive.
If you are going to get things done, you must uncover your bad habits, break them, and replace them with success habits. Some of the questions you might want to ask yourself are:
• What are my bad habits? For the next few days, keep your eyes open for those repeated activities that waste time and are unproductive. When you identify these, you are one step closer to breaking them.
• Why do I do it? The answer is usually obvious. Look for reasons like convenience, the social aspect of it, or just because you’ve always done it that way.
• Why do I want to change? You may need more time to accomplish something. You may want to have more time to do other things or participate in more important activities.
Remind yourself that destructive activities are keeping you from doing what you want to do. Also, remind yourself why you’re doing it and why you’d like to change.
Once you know what the problem is, it’s time to form new productive habits. There are three similar questions that are the key:
• What good habits do I want to develop? Whatever the desired activity, it should be placed in the center of your consciousness.
• Why do I want to do it? Will it lead to greater productivity, more efficiency, a healthier, stronger body, or more leisure time?
• Why do I want to change? Are there things you would like to do or learn? Would you like to go somewhere that you haven’t been? Would you like more quality time with your family and friends?
Repeating these three good habit questions every day could convince you that it’s time to take action and get things done!
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