One Apple A Day #605 - It is important
In the last weeks, I've been struggling with my priorities. Probably I said too many yes or maybe I just overestimate my energy. Anyway, the result is that some days, I feel overwhelmed by the things I want and I have to do. Whatever choice I make on what to focus on, I feel guilty for the things I'm leaving behind and for the people I will disappoint. In my mind, I know that the only way out is to put things on a list, define the priorities and tackle one task or goal after the other. And that's what I found overwhelming; defining my priorities. The easiest framework I know to prioritize things is Eisenhower's matrix, later developed by Stephen Covey in his 4 Quadrants. It's a simple matrix built on two axes; urgency and importance. The aim is to put as many tasks as possible in the "important, not urgent" quadrant. Urgency is based on time, so most of the time, it's easier to evaluate things to do. "Importance" is an entirely different game. How do you define what is important? It's a quest that requires us to explore our values and our vision for the future. To me, something is important when it serves my vision, it is aligned with my values. The degree of importance depends on the impact a specific activity has on my vision and on my world.
You're probably wondering why am I struggling if I have a framework and I know how to define the priority of the things I want to do?
Because to know what to do is not the same as doing what we know. Between knowing and doing, there are our emotions and our beliefs influencing our actions.
But I have a secret weapon; my morning practice. Including these daily posts. Just writing about my struggle, I gained more clarity about it. I don't have a solution yet, but I feel less overwhelmed and ready to review my priorities. No doubts that my morning practice scores very high in importance.