We allow so much “good” into our lives, that these activities often push out the room for the “great.” Here are some real-life examples from some of my clients over the past month!

  • You say “yes” to hanging out with some work acquaintances after work (you had a free night, and you like your work pals, so good), but then are unable to take your parents to dinner before they leave for vacation (you value your relationship with your parents much more than your work pals – great).
  • You agree to volunteer at the animal shelter (fits your goal of “volunteering in the community” – good), but then don’t have the time or energy to volunteer at the domestic violence shelter (the charity that is closest to your heart – great).
  • You decide one way to build your business is to cultivate referral partners, so you decide to have lunch with a potential partner 3 times each week. You lunch with people you know from your networking group (good), but then realize that time could have been better spent lunching with people that are actually influencers of your ideal client (great).

So, how do you fix it? Here are some ideas loosely based on The Power of Less by Leo Babauta.

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Become clear.

What ARE the commitments on your plate? Here are some categories to get you started.

  • Work
  • Side work (freelance, odd jobs)
  • Family (spouse, mother, daughter, grandmother . . .)
  • Kids (their commitments are yours also!)
  • Civic / Volunteer (board member, officer, volunteer, organizations)
  • Religious (attending services, church activities)
  • Hobbies (running, cycling, comic books)
  • Home (maintenance, cooking, cleaning)
  • Etc.

Become clearer.

Ask yourself these questions for each of the commitments.

  • How does this commitment give my life value?
  • What goal or value is this in line with?
  • How would my life be affected if I dropped this activity?

Decide Good vs. Great.

When you answer these questions, you will be able to see the difference between the different types of commitments. Some will stand out as being GREAT! These are directly in line with your goals, dreams, and vision. They bring the “most bang for the buck” in your life. You don’t want to experience the answer to the question “How will my life be affected if I dropped this?”

Once you can identify the GREAT, then you can start dropping the GOOD from your life. Remember, improvement is a process; you’ll want to start cutting the good activities from your life slowly. Ask yourself, “Which commitment gives me the least return for my time invested?” Start there.

Remember, this exercise is about making sure you have time for YOUR stuff, not just everybody else’s stuff! As you delete one commitment, you can add something from YOUR list of GREAT activities that you just don’t typically have enough time for!

Remember, you only have 168 hours in a week. When you use them wisely, for the GREATS, you will not only get more done, but you will also feel much more gratified! Curious about how to do a better job on prioritizing?

Download my complimentary Magic 168 Action Guide and become a prioritizing PRO!

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