Blog
Time Maximization Skills: First Things First
- November 4, 2022
- Posted by: Marcel Sanchez
- Category: Soft Skills Training Time Maximization
Maximizing your time is one of the greatest gifts you can give to others and to yourself.
Today I would like for you to consider the importance of putting First Things First in your life. This principle has to do with narrowing down what’s most important—with the amount of resources you currently have—and doing what matters most first on your list of action items.
First Things First involves aligning your values, priorities, and responsibilities with what matters most. It involves defining your core values—the essential principles that guide your decisions—and staying focused on what must be completed rather than on what should be completed.
Here are a few realities for you to consider:
You can’t do everything today, but you can do what’s most important today.
You can’t serve everybody, but you can be intentional about serving those around you.
You can’t meet everybody’s expectations, but you can prioritize your personal expectations and plans.
You don’t have unlimited time or energy, but you can direct these two resources to maximize your work.
If you consistently do first what matters most in life, you will have success over the long run.
And when you focus on what truly matters in life, you’re maximizing your time.
This reminds me of one of our Big Ideas from our Time Maximization Course:
The clearer you define your values, priorities, and responsibilities, the better you can maximize your focus.
As you think about First Things First, consider the following questions:
Have you identified the people that you value the most in your life?
Have you defined what you value highly?
Have you identified your top three daily priorities?
Have you defined the top three daily responsibilities that only you can accomplish?
First Things First flourishes when clarity is present. When you’re not clear with your values, priorities or responsibilities, your decision-making throughout the day will suffer. Carefully answering the above questions will help you to establish a consistent framework in your decision-making process.
What often happens when you don’t gain clarity in these areas is that you begin to drift and align with other perspectives that don’t necessarily match with what you truly value. Here’s a simple series of phrases to help you better understand how clarity precedes confidence.
When you clearly define what matters most, you can plan more effectively.
As you plan more effectively, you can make better decisions.
As you make better decisions, you can act with greater confidence.
As you act with greater confidence, you will maximize your time.
A Personal Story
I remember a conversation with a trusted mentor, Sam, over 25-years ago. Sam was a straight shooter. He told you things as they were, not as you wanted them to be. I was not settled on what I really believed about my purpose in life, my future, my education or other key areas.
The reality, was that I was all over the map on what really defined my values, priorities, and responsibilities. I was hyper-focused on fitness and sports. Everything else was much lower on my “list” of values.
As my values started developing, my priorities were still out of alignment. My priorities were not synchronized with what I said was a personal value. Sam challenged me to assess my values, priorities, and overall focus in life. He knew that I was ambitious, but all over the place. Sam was patient, but direct. He was kind, but firm.
Honestly, Sam’s talk challenged me deeply to align my values with something far greater than myself. He challenged me to look at my priorities and evaluate where I plateaued and declined with where I could rise and thrive.
What was the problem? I was the problem. My inability to clearly define my values hurt me. My lack of lasting priorities was disappointing. My laziness, manifested by a lack of personal responsibility for what truly mattered, was 100% my fault. And I knew it.
"First Things First flourishes when clarity is present. When you’re not clear with your values, priorities or responsibilities, your decision-making throughout the day will suffer."
Marcel Sanchez, Imagine Coaching Academy Tweet
Today’s Challenge
Think about your top values, priorities, and responsibilities. First Things First is about knowing what’s most important in each of these areas, clearly defining their importance, and adjusting your daily schedule to make sure you’re doing first what matters most in life.
Stop for a few minutes and clearly define what matters most in your life.
- My Top Values
- My Top Priorities
- My Top Responsibilities
Invest in Yourself
Looking for a flexible and self-directed way to grow as a leader and thrive in life?
That’s one of the main reasons I created Imagine Coaching Academy. Get professional coaching and online training courses to accelerate your soft skills, equip your teams, and grow your relationships.
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