6 Reasons Why Your Priorities Get All Screwed Up

 “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Last week I felt I had a very productive week. At least, it seemed like a productive week. I did a lot of work, after all…

Even though I was “productive,” I had a bit of a weird feeling about it. It took me a while to realize that while I did a lot or work and got a lot done, I didn’t make much progress towards my overall goals.

“Why is that,” you ask? It comes down to one word:

PRIORITIZATION

I looked back over all the work I did, and after just a cursory analysis I realized I had spent a lot of times on lower priority tasks.

Keep in mind, I said, “lowER” not “low” priority. The stuff I did was still important. In fact, a lot of what I worked on fit into my top five priorities.

However, a great deal of it did not fall into my top three priorities.

As a result, I did a lot, but didn’t accomplish much.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever put in a lot of time and effort, and yet still felt you hadn’t accomplished much?

If so, you may be making the same mistake I did: putting too much attention on lower priority work.

Why do we do this?? It seems so logical, doesn’t it? If Task A is the most important, highest priority task on my list, then I will obviously make sure I do it, right?

Wrong. Our highest priority activities are often the ones that get procrastinated, eliminated, and forgotten.

Here are six reasons why this may happen to you:

1) The Lower Priority Work May be More Urgent

Urgent. Not necessarily important

This is time management 101, and many others have written about it, so I won’t rehash it here. In one sentence, this means that you are letting things that demand your attention “right now” take precedence over things that matter most in the long run. If you want to learn more on this, do a Google search on “important vs. urgent.”

2) The Higher Priority Stuff May Suck

Yes, sometimes this is what your highest priority items make you feel like

I’m guessing this is a far more common reason than we’d like to admit. If the most important work you need to do sucks (i.e. you hate it), then you may very well find yourself procrastinating and filling your time with lower priority activities that are more pleasant.

3) The Lower Priority Stuff May be “Shiny and New”

Oooooh, bright and shiny...

For those of you (us) with a short attention span, grinding out high priority work week after week can be a drag. When a new option enters our lives, it may seem excitingto drop everything and pursue it. This is an easy way to get off task.

4) The Lower Priority Stuff May be Sexier

Yes, the sexy stuff can steal your attention.

One of the lower priority items I worked on was creating and posting short Kindle books. That was sexy to me because

• I could quickly have a finished product
• I could quickly start making sales.

Guess what? Each Kindle book sold earns me $0.35 to $3.00. Yes, getting more stuff on Amazon is cool and exciting, and we all love passive income. But the time spent putting together a Kindle book would be far better spent finding and booking speaking gigs. One speaking gig is worth 1,800 to 15,000+ times more than selling a Kindle book. Yes, there is value in creating and posting those books. But that work should come after the highest priority work.

(Note: you can see the three books I have up on Kindle by clicking here…)

5) You May be Getting Pushed to Do Lower Priority Work

Don't be pushed, cajoled, or threatened into low priority work. Even if it's from a ridiculous looking woman.

There is no shortage of people willing to give you advice and opinions on what you can and should be doing. Depending on your opinion of the person and the voracity of their opinion, you may find yourself doubting your plans and switching focus. There’s nothing wrong with re-evaluating; just don’t be so easily swayed that every time an “expert” gives you a dissenting idea that you suddenly change everything.

6) The Low Priority Work Gives You a Sense of Accomplishment

Congratulations Ace, you just accomplished something not at all important

Quite often, the stuff that we believe to have the highest priority doesn’t give us immediate, tangible results. The lower priority stuff often does. Returning to the Kindle example, once I finish a short Kindle book and get it on Amazon, I can pat myself on the back. I can see the result. However, sending 50 emails off to potential clients often feels like spinning my wheels. Yes, those can result in work, but when they do, it is a low percentage return and can often take months to close.

As you can see, there are many reasons we get sucked into doing lower priority work. It is a never ending battle you must, day-after-day, week-after-week, continue to fight if you want to make your life something truly special.

Sometimes the decision gets taken out of your hands. A great boss, mentor, or coach can keep you on high priority tasks at all times (and a bad boss can waste your time with low priority items). A school curriculum defines your priorities. Government regulations can force you to submit certain paperwork at specific times.

However, more often, it is up to you to make sure you stay focused on the tasks that maximize your chances of achieving all those wonderful things we want to achieve.

Question: How easily are you seduced into putting your attention on lower priority work?

Check out part 2! Understanding why you may work on lower priority stuff is only half the battle. Once you realize it’ happening, you need strategies to get yourself back on track.

Read tomorrow’s follow up post to get learn “5 Ways to Stay Focused on High Priority Work!”

P.S. Hey, if you like this post, why don’t you share the love and click the Facebook “Like” button at the top of this page…?

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About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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