You may or may not think about priorities. Either way, they exist. And they matter. But are your real priorities what you think they are?
If your normal day were to somehow be recorded and reviewed with a stranger, what would they see as your priorities? Well, they would probably equate your time spent on activities with the priority those activities take in your life. Makes sense, right?
Imagine that happening to you. Right now.
What would your real priorities look like? Would spending time with God, your spouse, your kids, working on your passion, serving the needy and reaching the lost shine through?
Or would your priorities look more like repinning another clever quote, combing through Facebook, mindlessly staring at another episode of the same old reality show and talking about all you’re going to accomplish some day?
Of course, you don’t want to consciously make the latter priorities. But your schedule says otherwise.
Where you spend your time says a great deal about who you are and what your real priorities are.
Honestly, how could they not?
If I told you I was a writer but you never saw any time set aside to write on my schedule and you never saw any fruit from my writing, would you say being a writer was a priority in my life?
Of course not.
I used to say I wanted to be a writer for years, but not once did I actually sit down and write something. Once I made the connection between my time and my priorities (and my wife gave me a good nudging), something amazing happened. My schedule started to reflect that writing was a priority in my life and I actually had something to show for it.
Think about your real priorities, the ones you want to have. Maybe they’re spending time with God, going on a weekly date with your spouse (a priority I’ve let slip) or giving back to the community.
Now consider your daily routine. Where in your day are you showing those priorities? I’m not saying you have to schedule and write down everything you do. I’m trying to get you to think about the relationship between where you spend your time and what your priorities are.
Your priorities, the ones you want to have, have to be reflected in your schedule. They have to become your musts of the day. Stop giving priority to every little thing that pops up and start being intentional with your time.
Are your real priorities what you think they are? What needs to change in your schedule to show your real priorities?
Photo courtesy: john.schultz (Creative Commons)
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