What do you Prioritize?

Prioritize putting your time and energy into the things that are most important to you.

That means that first, you must sit and consider – in order of importance – what are the most important people, places, and activities in your life?

What's going to make you feel the best long term?

What will you be proud to tell people you spend your time doing?

What actions done today will help you live better tomorrow, next year, and the next several decades?

I think most people will do best looking at things, generally, within the following 4 categories:

Faith, family/friends, fitness, and fun (recreation). Maybe for many people career would fall somewhere in the top 5 or so.

Eliminate or reduce the time spent doing things that do NOT make the top of this list. Or at least increase time focusing on the things you deemed are important to you, and worry less about rudimentary activities that cause stress and prevent you from putting as much time into the things that are most important to you.

As I write this, I'm sitting outside in the morning sun with my dogs. Having just gone through my short 10 minute prayer routine (I use YouVersion’s daily guided scripture) and also having already completed some quick morning exercise – my daily recharge (pushups, Hindu squats, hip thrusts) – in the backyard with my dogs – 2 of the “people” that are important to me.

That's a place (outside), an activity (fitness practice/morning movement), and a faith practice — all of which I enjoy and know will benefit me long term. These are things I want to prioritize so I put my energy towards it.

Later today I'll spend plenty of time hanging out with my wife, go for a walk with her and the dogs, I'll hit a nice, challenging full body lifting routine, and – if I'm lucky – I'll hang out with friends. I'll also spend some time doing some house chores and basic home maintenance along with watching a little college football on and off throughout the day. But, watching sports on TV is much lower priority for me than it used to be – and it should be a lower priority for me. It doesn't serve me like these other activities do, so I try to spend less time and less energy towards it (not be very invested in the outcome of the games, but, rather just enjoy it as simple entertainment). I'm better off focusing my attention toward activities that fill up my faith, family/friends, fitness, and fun cups.