Making Time for What Matters

We make time for what matters to us. Our priorities are never more apparent than when life gets busy.

 If you were to follow me around for a day, you would almost certainly be bored, but you would learn a lot about what matters to me. You would learn that there is often a difference between my “held priorities” and my “operational priorities.”

“Held priorities” are what we say matters to us.  “Operational priorities” are what we do.

So, if I say, for example, that my family matters to me, but I never call or visit them, you would rightly conclude that there is a discrepancy between my “held priorities” and my “operational priorities.” I’m saying one thing matters to me, but I’m not doing anything that would indicate that it actually does.

Think for a bit about what matters to you. Write it down. Then, pull out your calendar and ask yourself if your held priorities are operational in your life. That is, do what you say and what you do line up?

A change may be in order. It may be a big change, like pulling back on your commitments at work to make time to be with your family. It may be a small change, like waking up a half an hour earlier to exercise.

Let me share one small change I am making.

Writing matters to me. There has been a discrepancy, though. I say it matters, but I don’t do it. It is time for me to remedy that.

You can hold me to it.