Prioritize and Get the Important Things Done

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Big Rocks: Prioritizing Made Easy
By Victoria Munro

Growing a business, keeping a competitive edge and getting everything done can be tough. We often seem to need more hours than there are in a day. As a result, things that are really important easily get neglected. Spending time with family and friends and making time to take care of yourself often get squeezed out. Living a more balanced, healthy life and getting important things done is possible, but you may need to make some changes.

Time is the most precious and expendable resource you have. When you spend it, it’s spent—you can’t retrieve it when it’s gone. There’ll always be a temptation to think there simply isn’t enough time. Today, this is magnified by the fact that we’re constantly exposed to a seemingly limitless array of distracting opportunities and ways to use our time. Identifying what’s really important to you and putting your priorities in order is the solution.

Most of us have heard the illustration of this principle by a professor who challenged his students to fit a given pile of rocks into a jar. When they failed, he demonstrated how putting the big rocks into the jar first, and then filling the remaining space with small rocks, allowed them all to fit. To get what’s most important to us done and enjoy a more balanced life, we need to recognize and take care of our ‘big rocks’ first.

Three Keys to Care for Your ‘Big Rocks’

Look After Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset—You!
Small business owners are very good at a lot of things, but taking time to care for themselves often isn’t one of them. You need time to stay physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially and mentally healthy. Plan time to exercise, enjoy a stimulating hobby, have some fun, or just allow yourself some down time to rest, reflect and regroup.

Ask yourself:
“Why did I start this business in the first place?”
“What can I do now to take better care of myself?”

Remember Who is Most Important to You
When people look back at the end of their lives, family and friends are what usually matter the most. Schedule time with those you love when you’re fresh and alert—too often they only get what’s left of us after a tiring day. Keep in mind that the sacrifices you make as a business owner often affect your family too.

Ask yourself:
“Who means the most to me?”
“What can I do to make time with those I care about?”

Focus on the Highest Priority in Your Business
In our fast-paced, high-stress, information-laden world, busyness easily becomes the norm. Time spent just putting out fires can eat up a day. Keeping in mind what is most important for the business and focusing on that can help keep busyness at bay. Before you start in the morning, list your tasks for the day and then prioritize them with your main goal in mind. Write out the highest priority for your business this week and post it where you’ll see it often.

Ask yourself:
“What is the number one goal for my business right now?”

There really are enough hours in the day, but in reality you probably won’t get everything done. So schedule your ‘big rocks'—those things most important to you and your business—on your calendar first. Then let the ‘small rocks’—those things that need to be done to keep your business running smoothly—fill in the remaining time. You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll enjoy a more balanced life.

About the Author: Victoria Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small-business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,” at: www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.

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