When Everything is a Priority

“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters”

Margaret Peters

It feels great returning to social media after 3 weeks of forced hiatus.

I was so occupied with other things that social media and blogging became a distant dream. During these 3 week, I often wished for few more hours to fill into the day!

When I spoke about it to my friend, she said, “you should prioritize better, work smarter”. At that moment, her innocuous statement rubbed salt into my wounds. I rolled my eyes and responded with frustration, “come on…you know that I am good at prioritization!”

In the middle of the hustle bustle, my mind refused to accept the feedback. When I reflect on it today, I believe my friend was quite right.

I could have prioritised better, worked better – all the more when most work on my plate was critical.

Few things that I learnt over last few weeks:

1. Work smart — think of different ways by which the work can be completed, different resources that can be used. While this seems common sense, when piled up with deliverables, I quickly went into the execution mode. I rolled up my sleeves and started working. After completing the work or somewhere in between, I realized that I could have taken a different and more efficient route. It would have released few hours that I was praying for.
2. Be comfortable with few things undone – at least for that day. This sounds easy! But for people who can’t rest unless all the items on to do list are ticked off, its important to accept it. This leads to a peaceful night, at the very least. And higher productivity next day.
3. Keep your cool – When my boss requested me to do an additional piece of work during this period, without realising I whined. I explained to her how hard I was working! (Totally unnecessary) In retrospect, I could have negotiated few additional hours, but whine I shouldn’t have.
4. Be clear about the purpose, the big picture you are trying to achieve. It helps weed out things that can be addressed later – including certain activities that you love to do, or take pride in doing – and enhances focus.