When things don’t get done; one of the great tendencies is to say, “I just didn’t have time.” While I do think that this can sometimes be true, most things don’t get done because they were not a priority in our lives. We get up in the morning and do the things that are the most important to us and the things that don’t get done; well let’s just admit that we didn’t make them a priority.
We are about to enter into a crazy time of our life, as far as time is concerned. Two kids, the 4 year old starting preschool. My wife is working full time, being youth pastors and both of us going back to school full time. It is not that we cannot handle the work load, but it does require us to look closely at our time and purposely decide how we are going to use it. To clearly define what the priorities are and what things are not priorities.
We all go through changes in life, some are simple shifts and some are more dramatic. And it is safe to say, that every now and then it is a good idea to measure your time and see where your priorities are in life. Seasons change in your life and cause you to have to evaluate and to re-evaluate your priorities.
John Maxwell talks about living life with intention; he says “A lot of time thinking on the front end, reflection on the back end.” With that in mind here are the ways that I started to evaluate where my time is going to go.
- What thing do I absolutely have to do?
- What things do I have to do based on my values?
- What things do I want to do, but my values do not insist I have to.
- What things do not make the cut of being important or having a priority?
Someone once said; “the only certainty in life is change.” I do not know if that is 100% accurate, but I do know that change comes. Sometimes we initiate it and sometimes it just comes to us. In either situation we have to re-evaluate where the priorities in our lives are.
Never say, “I don’t have the time” again. Replace it with, “I’m choosing to prioritize here.” – Roxanne Emmerich
Have you had a change in your life lately? How did you deal with evaluating and re-evaluating your priorities?
briankives 
Priorities are often the most difficult thing for some to understand and grasp. Most of the time, people are too scared and afraid of hurting others’ feelings if they don’t do what they told them would get done. In return, people try to stretch and stretch themselves in many different ways, and end up stretching themselves too far. Because people don’t prioritize and set boundaries, the people you promised things to, end up hurt in the end. In a sense, they didn’t make your top priority. To you, breaking the promise you made wasn’t that big of a deal, but to that person, it could’ve been a life altering promise.
In reality, if you sit down and talk things out with people, they will understand and “let you off the hook.” But if you go behind their back: lie, cheat, manipulate, and wiggle yourself out of situations, your credibility and overall confidence will be lost. People will ultimately stop trusting in you; stop asking you for things, and stop communicating with you all together.
Set priorities. Set boundaries. What will hurt? What else could you lose?
I really needed this! I am having to go thru “getting my priorities straight” while going to school. Thank u for sharing!!!