Monday, February 5, 2007

Today Matters, Decision #2 PRIORITIES

2. Decision #2 PRIORITIES: “Today’s priorities give me focus”
Determine and act on important priorities daily.

Michael LeBoeuf: “Devoting a little of yourself to everything means giving yourself to nothing.”
Focus is a key to success.
Time is your most precious commodity. How you spend your time is much more important than how you spend your money. Your priorities determine how you should spend your time.
The Value of Time: to know the value of _____ ask _____:
1 year: ask student who failed final exam
1 month: mother of premature baby
1 week: editor of a weekly news magazine
1 day: wage earner with six children
1 hour: lovers waiting to meet
1 minute: person who missed the plane
1 second” person who survived the accident
1 millisecond: Olympic silver medalist
We can’t change time, only our priorities.
Myers Barns: “Time management has nothing to do with the clock. But everything to do with organizing and controlling participation in certain events that coordinate with the clock.”
Einstein: Time management is an oxymoron; you cannot manage time
You can’t change time, you must change your approach to it.
You can’t do everything. You must choose. You must know what NOT to do.
Eliminate non-essentials. You can anything you want but you can’t have everything you want.
Pretend you only have six months to live. What would you do? That is what’s important.
Focus to be successful. Run on your own track. Determine YOUR priorities DAILY.
Focus on your strength areas and gift areas. Improve your strengths not weaknesses.
Vilfredo Pareto, the Pareto Principle: “By focusing on the top 20% of all your priorities you will get an 80% return on your effort.”
I will prioritize my life and focus on those priorities that will give me the highest return.

How to change your priorities:
Take back today. Carl Sandburg: “Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You, and you alone, will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.”
Your greatest possession is the 24 hours that you have ahead of you. How will you spend it? Don’t give in to pressures; focus on priorities. Don’t allow unimportant distractions to determine how you spend your time.

Ask three critical questions:
1) What is required of me? Realistic assessment of what you MUST do to satisfy spouse, employer, family, etc.
2) What gives me the greatest return? Focus on high return activities.
3) What gives me the greatest reward? Need personal satisfaction as well as achievement. Need third, but must take care of first two first.

Suggestions for finding your strengths:
1) Trial and error. If it’s all trial and all error, then move on, but take some chances.
2) Consider the counsel of others who don’t have a personal agenda.
3) Take personality tests.
4) Examine your personal experience. Evaluated experience is the best teacher.

Every day I will live my life according to my priorities:
1) Evaluate priorities daily. Priorities change because conditions and methods change.
2) Plan your time carefully.
3) Follow your plan. Put important tasks first.
4) Delegate whenever possible. If someone can do it 80% as well as I do, then hand it off.
5) Invest in the right people daily. Don’t spend time with everyone equally. Value to team, timing, natural ability, responsibility, potential, mentoring fit.

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