The idea of ranking things, or organizing abstract concepts in a column? Oh, man. Heaven. Like Christa, I'm a lister. My only difficulty with this assignment is that it asks what's most important and valuable--not necessarily what things get the majority of your time and attention. I realize that there are a few important things that I routinely avoid or neglect, simply because they're difficult or because I feel greedy taking the time to focus on my own personal interests. And really, how silly is that? What makes a person healthier and happier than focusing on their health and happiness? So, here's my list, as simple as I can make it.
1. Cherishing my relationship with my partner
2. Being a good mother to my son(s)
3. Improving my health (physical, mental, and emotional)
4. Improving my finances
By the way, I find it funny that we were allowed to choose 4 or 5 and everyone went for 5. ;)
Showing posts with label prioritizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prioritizing. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2011
Christa, Day 1: Make a list of your top 4-5 important things.
Oh my gosh, it is day ONE of the 72 Ideas in 72 Days Project and I am very, very excited. Possibly because today's idea is an easy one as it's more reflective than anything else:
I am by nature a listmaker, so I've been chomping at the bit to get this one done and more than a little weekend brainpower was wasted - productively utilized? - thinking about this. Because I get it. Most of us have a tendency to get mired in things that don't really matter or if they matter a little, for instance keeping things neat and tidy, they don't go very far toward contributing to those four or five important things.
Of course, when I was mulling item one over, I got all caught up in headspace semantics. Are we talking personal or professional? Can I make two lists, one for each? What about pie in the sky dreams that I ought to be actively working toward - do those count? But hello, the whole point of this project is SIMPLICITY. To distill things down to manageable levels and then pure essence, so I'm pretty sure I'm already failing a little bit and it's only the first day!
Oops?
With that in mind, I'm challenging myself to jot down five items right now. First thing that comes to mind instead of something super polished and well thought out. This is an exercise to get us thinking, sure, but my tendency is to overthink and to very carefully position myself in an appealing way. Maybe through this project I'll discover that what I want out of life and how I want to live does not have mass appeal, and that's okay. I'm 31 years old, hey, so I think I can deal with that.
My list:
1. Spending as much quality time with my daughter and also my husband as I can.
2. Doing more of the things that make me happy, which is sometimes actually work and sometimes messing around with cloth or painting my furniture.
3. Having enough money and resources to feel secure.
4. Enjoying the pleasures of being alive, like eating good food or sitting in the sun and getting lots of fresh air and exercise.
5. Finding contentment in what I am doing and distancing myself from the stuff that gets in the way of contentment.
P.S. - Check out Amy's Day 1 post over at her blog Vegparadise, and Lella's intro blog over at 31 and holding!
Make a list of your top 4-5 important things. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.
I am by nature a listmaker, so I've been chomping at the bit to get this one done and more than a little weekend brainpower was wasted - productively utilized? - thinking about this. Because I get it. Most of us have a tendency to get mired in things that don't really matter or if they matter a little, for instance keeping things neat and tidy, they don't go very far toward contributing to those four or five important things.
Of course, when I was mulling item one over, I got all caught up in headspace semantics. Are we talking personal or professional? Can I make two lists, one for each? What about pie in the sky dreams that I ought to be actively working toward - do those count? But hello, the whole point of this project is SIMPLICITY. To distill things down to manageable levels and then pure essence, so I'm pretty sure I'm already failing a little bit and it's only the first day!
Oops?
With that in mind, I'm challenging myself to jot down five items right now. First thing that comes to mind instead of something super polished and well thought out. This is an exercise to get us thinking, sure, but my tendency is to overthink and to very carefully position myself in an appealing way. Maybe through this project I'll discover that what I want out of life and how I want to live does not have mass appeal, and that's okay. I'm 31 years old, hey, so I think I can deal with that.
My list:
1. Spending as much quality time with my daughter and also my husband as I can.
2. Doing more of the things that make me happy, which is sometimes actually work and sometimes messing around with cloth or painting my furniture.
3. Having enough money and resources to feel secure.
4. Enjoying the pleasures of being alive, like eating good food or sitting in the sun and getting lots of fresh air and exercise.
5. Finding contentment in what I am doing and distancing myself from the stuff that gets in the way of contentment.
P.S. - Check out Amy's Day 1 post over at her blog Vegparadise, and Lella's intro blog over at 31 and holding!
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