Focus Friday: The Power of Prioritization – Focus on What Truly Matters
In the aftermath of a life quake, it’s easy to feel pulled in a thousand directions. Your mind races with questions: What do I do first? What should I focus on? How do I even begin? When everything feels urgent, the key to reclaiming focus is simple: prioritize.
Prioritization isn’t just about getting things done—it’s about aligning your actions with what truly matters. Today, let’s explore how to harness the power of prioritization to move forward with clarity and purpose.
1. Clarify Your Key Focus Areas
Start by asking yourself: What matters most right now? Not everything can be urgent, and not everything is equally important. Use these categories to organize your thoughts:
Urgent and Important: Tasks or responsibilities that need immediate attention.
Important but Not Urgent: Longer-term goals that require steady effort.
Not Important but Urgent: Distractions that can often be delegated or minimized.
Not Urgent and Not Important: Things that don’t align with your priorities and can be eliminated.
Focusing on the first two categories ensures that your time and energy are spent on what will have the greatest impact.
2. Set SMART Goals
Once you’ve identified your focus areas, set goals that are:
Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
Measurable: Include a way to track your progress.
Achievable: Be realistic about what’s possible.
Relevant: Ensure it aligns with your values and priorities.
Time-Bound: Set a deadline to create urgency.
For example, instead of saying, “I want to update my resume,” you might say, “I will rewrite my resume by Friday, focusing on three accomplishments from my last job.”
3. Create Boundaries to Protect Your Focus
Even the best priorities can be derailed by constant distractions. Protecting your focus requires setting boundaries around your time and energy.
Time Blocking: Dedicate specific time slots for high-priority tasks.
Say No Gracefully: Decline requests that don’t align with your goals.
Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time to work more efficiently.
Boundaries are not just about saying no to others—they’re about saying yes to what matters most to you.
My Story: Prioritizing My Way Out of Overwhelm
I’ll never forget the season when I felt like I was drowning in responsibilities. A career transition, personal obligations, and financial pressures were all competing for my attention. Every day felt like a battle against the clock, and I constantly questioned if I was focusing on the right things.
One evening, I sat down and made a list of everything weighing on me. Then, I asked myself: What actually matters? I realized that much of my stress came from tasks that weren’t aligned with my values. From there, I began prioritizing what truly mattered—building my career, reconnecting with family, and taking care of my health.
I also created boundaries. I stopped saying yes to every request, blocked off uninterrupted time for deep work, and let go of tasks that didn’t serve my goals. Slowly but surely, the overwhelm lifted, and I started to feel in control of my life again.
Now, I guide my clients through similar exercises, helping them prioritize their way out of overwhelm and into clarity.
Reflective Challenge
Take 15 minutes today to make a priority list. Divide your tasks into the categories above and identify one action you can take immediately to address an important focus area.
Need help clarifying and prioritizing your next steps? Let’s work together to build a personalized plan for your success. Book your free discovery session here