Priority is singular. It’s something I need to remind myself frequently as I often talk about my priorities. Yet the irony is that the moment you begin to work on your priorities, nothing is actually a priority.
It’s not just a clever play on words. The scatter effect of focusing on too many priorities is all too real. Attempts become diluted and focus becomes fuzzy and chaotic when you try to attend to too much at a time.
We’re so used to information overload in the modern-day that we’ve become accustomed to juggling our time and multi-tasking. But did you know that multi-tasking was a term originally applied to computers, referring to their ability to process two or more jobs at a time?
Polite reminder – you are not a machine. And if you’re a frequent multi-tasker like I am, then you’ll know that the struggle is very real.
So what can we do when we find our priorities multiplying and our attention compromised? It’s a question I’ve found myself grappling with as I try to navigate the world of self-employment. And whilst I don’t have all the answers, I have developed some tried and tested strategies that work for me.
How to prioritise
- Recognise the difference between a priority and a routine task. A priority is something that must be done in order to progress or move something forward. It is of high importance. Routine tasks are much more general, such as doing the grocery shopping or housework, they help life to run smoothly but they don’t have the same transformational power behind them.
- Remind yourself on a daily basis that a priority is singular. Try to focus on just one key thing. It may be that your priority needs to be broken down into smaller items e.g. when writing a report, there’s the information gathering, collating and then writing each section, but the priority is to finish the report.
- As you plan your week or you day, identify your one priority. Remember, priority is singular. Avoid the temptation to descend into mind scatter.
- Work on that priority and remain focused until a) it’s finished, or b) you’ve done enough for the day / completed the next step to move you forward.
- Prioritise your priority – don’t get lost in routine tasks. Yes, I know, the temptation to tidy the kitchen, sort your bookshelf etc. is very real but you’ll feel so much better for making your priority, well, a priority.
Can you have more than one priority each day? Possibly – it depends upon your energy levels. Personally, I’m trying to focus on just one priority a day.
Prioritising in action
To give you an example of how I’ve used the above method, here’s what I did last week.
My current priority is to complete the book I’m working on, so I make sure I block out some time each day in my time planner to work on it. Early mornings work best for me, so it’s usually the first task I complete.
Once that’s done, I take a look at what else I need to do for the day or week. Last week, I desperately needed to complete writing a report, so that became my next priority. Everything else – housework, decluttering, general life-admin, that I would normally have attended to first, slotted in elsewhere.
The process of identifying one priority – and reminding myself that priority is singular (!) has helped me to focus on one task at a time. The process of mentally sorting activities to determine whether it’s a priority or a routine task has helped me define what’s important to me and reduce the feeling of overwhelm.
If I get my priority done for the day, then all is well in my world. The knowledge that I’m moving forward towards my goal helps the slightly cluttered kitchen feel like less of an issue.
I’m not perfect, but one day at a time, I’m trying to say goodbye to the urge to multi-task and reduce the burnout that accompanies it. For the moment, it feels like reminding myself to focus on one priority at a time might be a perfect way forward.
Image courtesy of Mel Poole.