Most of us have big lofty goals and for many of us much of them seem unattainable. I’m here to tell you that we can work toward our goals by changing how we approach them. I have forever been a “To-do list” person… If you’ve seen my post-it note collection, you’d believe me without batting an eye. I LOVE my post-it notes! They are colourful, amazing, fun and inspiring. No matter how cute or great the post-it notes were that I used, I always felt like I was falling behind and struggling to make my goals. Then I learned about writing priority lists instead of to do lists. That was a game changing moment for me.
I took it as a challenge to see, for two weeks, how it would make a difference in my life. I would write a priority list of my top 3 items to do daily, that worked toward a goal. At the end of the two weeks, I caught up on a lot of things that previously seemed out of reach and in one day, wrote the outline to a future online programme. It was shocking to me how fast things shifted by changing my focus from endless lists, to prioritizing where my energy needed to be. This ultimately ended up changing my daily activities.
I am closer to my goals because I have begun focusing on how to achieve them in stages, not just task lists.
Think of some goals you may be avoiding or putting off. Try writing priority lists and focusing your attention on those priorities instead of an endless to do list.
See if you notice a quick shift in your response to those priorities. As I was working on priorities and not a to-do list, I could look at my tasks, whether personal or professional and be able to see the top priorities without the need for a detailed, never-ending list that would usually be overbearing.
Prior to this shift, my focus was on the endless things that needed to be accomplished. Narrowing it down to 2-3 daily items that needed to get done created a manageable and easier method toward getting things accomplished and feeling better, knowing that important things weren’t getting missed. Crossing off those items opened the door for some down time and I felt more productive and efficient.
Would you like to know more about how I made the shift? Grab your favourite tea and fancy mug and let’s chat about it!
With Love and Light,
Dr. Jen, N.D.