5 Mistakes Getting in the Way of Priority Management Success

Like a lot of people, I often feel like I could use an extra hour or two every day in order to accomplish all that I want to do.  I don’t think I’ve ever been busier than I am in this life stage.  But it’s all good stuff- and I’m not complaining!

I’m grateful for the work opportunities that God has placed in front of me and I want to steward my time well. 

How about you?  Do you have more to do in a single day than you have hours?

God created time and he knew what he was doing when he created the day with 24 hours. 

“He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.” Psalm 104:19

 

Being smart about how we use our time is wise.  I’ve read a lot of books and listened to a lot of advice about best practices for time management techniques- but it was just recently that I came across a piece of advice from John Maxwell that made me rethink my whole approach.  Here’s what he said,

“Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”

-John Maxwell

Yes!  So now, I’m no longer using the term, ‘time management’.  It’s all about priority management from now on.  I think that’s a more honest approach.  What do you think?

With that said, I think there are some common mistakes that many of us make, mistakes that get in the way of our success when it comes to managing our priorities well.  Here they are:

Mistake #1:

We let an out of control “to do’ list overwhelm us.

The key here is to prioritize from the most to least important tasks and then to focus on one task at a time. 

Mistake #2:

We don’t have a morning routine.

Find what works for you and then stick to it!  For me, I feel much calmer when I start my day earlier than the rest of my household.  I like to have some quiet time to read my Bible and pray.  I try to save the emails for later (after I’ve had my coffee).

Mistake #3:

We don’t have a plan!

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

My friend, Marva, designed an easy to use goals planner that she sells for a very reasonable price (only $10 right now).  It can be bought and downloaded HERE.  This planner is what I use to help me write yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals.  I love how easy it to use and how organized and on track it keeps me with my plans.

Mistake #4:

We forget to take care of ourselves.

Are you feeling drained?  What are you doing to renew your body, mind, and soul?

I’ve designed a course all about this called, Renew, consisting of 20 self-paced retreats that provide a place to pause, allowing our spirits to be refreshed as we soak in the goodness of who God is.  This retreat is a quiet celebration of some beautiful gifts given to us by our Creator- gifts that renew our bodies, minds, and spirits.  You can read more about it HERE.

Mistake #5

We forget to place boundaries around our time.

Boundary setting is so important when it comes to successfully managing our priorities!

Social media, television, work, etc…all have their appropriate place as long as we keep ourselves aware of how much time we’re devoting to them and to our other priorities.  I will often use the timer on my phone when I sit down to use social media. It helps!

I pray these ideas that I’ve shared today will bless you and help you as you manage your busy days and set your priorities. Please feel free to share in the comments any other ideas that you think other people would find helpful in regards to this topic.

If you found this post helpful, would you please share it?  

Linking up with Deb Wolf at #faithandfriends (Friday), #GraceandTruth (Friday), Holly Gerth at #coffeeforyourheart (Wednesday), Kelly at #RaRalinkup (Tuesday), and Lori at #Momentsofhope (Thursday)