(prioritizing)
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I’ve been hit and miss on the internet recently. I’ve been hit and miss with writing, too.
Here’s why…
I love those kiddos. Every last one of them. BOY, GIRL, BOY, GIRL, BOY. Ranging from 16 to 4. That’s my five kids.
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They are my life. (Oh, and my hubby is my life, too. I can’t forget him. 😉 )
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Recently, I gave a lesson to some teens that was as much for me as for them.
It goes like this:
We have a thousand things vying for our time each day; things that can be categorized into three groups:
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Important things.
Semi-important things.
Not-so-important-but-kinda-fun things...
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The important things in our life are like rocks.
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The semi-important things are like pebbles.
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The not-so-important-but-kinda-fun things are like sand.
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But our day only has so much room.
Like a bottle.
Once it’s filled, it’s filled.
Though we know what’s important to us,
we often throw things into our jar in the wrong order.
The not-so-important-but-kinda-fun things consume half our day,
and suddenly we can’t make it all fit.
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“I don’t have time!”
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But if we put the most important things in first,
schedule family, spirituality, or whatever matters most to us first,
we find time for things we used to “not have the time for.”
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The guilt dies.
The happiness grows. .
(ie: Writing books and interacting with great people on facebook, twitter, and my blog are what I do when my kids, my family, and my priorities don’t need me. NOT VICE VERSA.)
And the best part is,
when we put first things first,
suddenly we realize we can make the other stuff fit, too.
At worst, we might lose a few grains of sand, but really,
who misses those lost seconds on facebook watching other people live their lives?
If you’re living yours, you won’t.
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So sit down.
Make a list.
Prioritize your life.
Then schedule your days and weeks accordingly.
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Coming from someone who spent a summer putting the rocks in first…(literally)…
…I promise you’ll be happier for it.
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What do you do to put first things first? Any tricks you’ve learned through the years?
Share your thoughts and comments here.
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