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Motivational Articles by Dr. Susan Rempel Prioritizing Your Life is a Continual Process
A few days ago it occurred to me that I was
violating one of the key themes that I so often espouse to others!
There I sat at my desk thinking I should work on
one of my websites. Maybe, I should work on one of the two book projects
I am developing. Then again, there were a bevy of emails I needed to
respond to.
While I was at it, I should return several
telephone messages. My desk was in its usual state of disarray.
My cup of coffee had long since gone cold.
Then it hit me.
Actually, someone hit me!
One of my kids ran up to my desk, gave me a
hug, suggested I take him on an errand, and all three of my cherubs were
hoping to go out to lunch. I started to groan at the thought of losing
an entire afternoon of work when a voice in my head shouted,
“Priorities! What happened to your priorities?”
I don’t think I am wrong to assume that many of the
people reading this article are like me: a “type-A” workaholic.
Of course, being a workaholic has its
benefits: a good income, financial security, never experiencing a dull
moment, etc.
Then there is the bad news: focusing
exclusively on your job (or any other part of your life) leads to tunnel
vision.
If you read my article: The Personal Pinnacle of
Success”
(http://uncommoncourtesy.com/personal1.htm)
you will remember that it is important to balance your priorities
between five key areas of life: work, family, community, conduct of
life, and personal satisfaction.
Additionally, you need to establish
priorities and goals within each of these areas.
Developing tunnel vision in any area limits
the amount of time that you have to spend in the other four areas.
It also prevents an abundance of other
things.
It prevents you from participating in a wide
range of activities that contribute to a satisfying life.
It also prevents you from experiencing the
sense of peace that comes when you control your life rather than having
others control it for you.
Further, it prevents you from engaging in
meaningful relationships with those who are important to you.
Your tunnel vision tends to become even more
exaggerated when the various aspects of each area lack prioritization.
My own situation was a fine example of what happens when work is not
prioritized.
The same principle applies to the other
areas as well.
Consider how overwhelmed you would feel if
you tried to spend equal amounts of time volunteering at your local
hospital, coaching your child’s little league team, organizing a school
fund-raiser, working full time, as well as meeting the other
responsibilities that you have to your work, family, and yourself! Most
people who spread themselves too thin in community-related activities
either drop out of the activities or feel guilty for not doing enough
with each of them. Another example would be telling your spouse, “Honey,
I’m here for you 24/7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).”
That simply is not possible!
You need approximately 10 hours each day to
sleep and care for yourself.
During the week, you spend at least 9 hours
each day working, commuting, and/or running errands.
If you have children, they need, no they
demand, a significant amount of your attention each day. You might even
have the audacity to allocate a brief amount of time to yourself each
day, so that you can read, exercise, meditate, watch television, or surf
the Internet. A much more realistic statement you could make to your
spouse is that you want to spend time each day focused exclusively on
him or her, and dedicate most of your weekend time to your spouse and
children.
As you can imagine, all of these thoughts flashed
through my mind as I sat at my desk.
I then realized that it was a great day
outside.
Heck, it was Saturday! My children needed my
immediate attention much more than anything that I had to work on, and I
needed a break. I was out of touch with anything that was not sitting on
my desk.
What was the perfect solution? Two of my
kids jumped in the car with me, we picked up my youngest child from
dance class, and we took care of the errand as then had a nice lunch. I
even spent time chatting with my husband after he returned home.
When I returned to my desk, I saw what
needed to be completed immediately because I could think clearly. I had
the break that I needed to see how to prioritize my workload. On that
day work definitely needed to wait until after the “family time” that I
needed.
The point to my story is that merely establishing
priorities for your life is not enough. You must also have a clear
vision of how you are living your life. Ask yourself if what you are
doing at this moment is in sync with the balance that you are seeking to
achieve in your life? Is any particular responsibility or relationship
demanding so much of your time and energy that you ignore other
important aspects of your life? You must constantly monitor your actions
within each area as well.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, burned-out, or
angry about the amount of time that you focus on one of the key areas?
If the answer is “yes,” then consider it to
be a symptom that you need to step back, examine your priorities, and
shape your life accordingly. Copyright © 1998
- 2011 Susan C. Rempel, Ph.D. All rights reserved. This article (including the copyright notice) may be reprinted with the following the following attachment: © 1998 - 192011 Susan C. Rempel, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Bingo Games, Motivational Material and More at www.UnCommonCourtesy.com! More than 200 holiday, religious, educational, and diversity bingo games and concentration sets available . Bingo games for adults and children to play at home, school, church, corporate meetings, and just about anywhere you can imagine. Games made to order for every occasion. Motivational articles and personal growth exercises too! Join Susan Rempel, Ph.D.'s blog: Seek THE Positive. - end attachment -
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