Keeping Your Priorities

Be very careful, then, how you live...

1) Stay flexible. Conditions constantly change; so do the methods in which we get things done.

2) Plan your time carefully. To be effective, you must be able to plan your day. Only one in three people do this. John Maxwell says, "It is a rare day that I get up in the morning wondering what I will do that day." Can you say this?

3) Follow the plan. Most of us do not get to our most important tasks until mid-afternoon. We tend to finish off low-priority tasks first, so that we will have a sense of accomplishment. That is unwise. Do first things first. If you plan your day but do not follow through, your results will be the same as those who do not plan at all.
Goethe said, "Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least."

4) Delegate whenever possible. People fall into 2 categories: clingers or dumpers. Clingers refuse to let go of anything they think important, whether they are the best person to perform the task or not. Their goal is perfection. Dumpers, on the other hand, are quick to get rid of tasks, yet give little thought to how well the job will get done. Their goal is to get things off their desk. Proper delegation calls for being wise, secure in who you are, and generous toward others. It also means that the job gets done right - and isn't that what is important...