Priorities

We all have priorities in our everyday life. These are the things that are important to us like self-care, friends, family, religion, work etc.  

To-Do’s

Things that we just have to do. The list might not be the same every single day, but week to week it is pretty similar with the occasional curve ball like “pay the dentist bill.” I know I am not the only one who thrives with to-do lists and constantly uses the note pad app in her phone to write out a plan. These are things like laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills, etc

Non-negotiables

These are things that are stronger than priorities and more than a to-do. These are things that we schedule into our life, because we need them to survive and thrive.  Things like sleep, exercise, food, water. Most of these things we do naturally, but many of these things we could be doing better. In order to support your non-negotiables, you need to have your priorities in order and shake up your to-do list.

You still with me?

Step 1: Define your non-negotiables. What are you doing or what should you be doing to live your best life and be the best version of yourself you could possibly be. Hint: I recommend using the examples I stated above (Sleep, food, water, exercise)

Step 2: Write out your current priority list and write out your “dream” priority list. Be brutally honest. A lot of us look something like this:

Family

Work

Friends

Self-Care

Note: it is OKAY to have work at the bottom! It is not okay to put yourself last. If you are not thriving then the rest of those areas will suffer! If you are a parent or if you have ever given any health related advice to someone you love then you have probably said something like, “You have to take care of yourself.” Take your own advice! Write out your “dream” priority list. Here’s mine:

Self-care

Family

Work

Friends

Step 3: Write a to-do list every single day that supports your priorities and your non-negotiables. If you are not a list maker you are missing out on extreme satisfaction, organization and results! Each week I work off of a document  called my “weekly review”

I do NOT want to know a life without this tool. I update my weekly to do for the following week every Friday and then I add to it each night to plan out my next day. Here is an example day on my (current) weekly review:

When I complete the task I bold it so if I missed something on Monday then I could go back for it on Tuesday or later in the week. This to-do list can and should include things like

Training at 4:15pm

Make lunch for Tuesday

Prep dinner

Meal plan

Screens off by 9PM and in bed

Right now, one of my non-negotiables is to keep my body functioning with limited pain which is why if you saw the whole week worth of to-do’s you would see a chiropractor appointment on Monday, prenatal massage on Tuesday, Doctor appointment on Wednesday, etc.

Everyone has 24 hours in the day. You have a choice to make those hours productive and lead a satisfying and healthy life. Truth be told – I do take a break from a weekly review Saturday and Sunday, but Monday through Friday I am faithful to this tool and it has been life changing and helped me paint a clear picture of what is important to me. It also catches me when I slip.

Be in control!

Coach Meagan