What matters most to you – in life and at work?
No really, what matters most? We get so accustomed to plowing through never-ending to-do lists and going through the motion of our days without pausing to really address that question. Until, one day, the answer is staring you in the face and there is no denying it as much as if you had been caught with your own hand in the cookie jar. That happened to me recently when my 8 year old son barricaded the entrance to my home office with a note saying, “You are not doing work, Mom”.
- A “What Matters Most” Wake-up Call
You can imagine all the “reasons” and “explanations” I gave him for why I work, but in the end, what mattered most was that my son was declaring his need for some uninterrupted “mom time”.
It is in those moments when life’s choices become as clear as if we had been hit over the head by them. But not all our choices throughout the day have that utter clarity because we tend to approach everything as urgent instead of focusing on “what matters most”.
How do you decide what gets your attention? What behaviors do you demonstrate consistently that either keep you focused on “what matters most” or off-track on something else? Many of us have an “open door policy” and allow distractions and interruptions that become barricades for doing what matters most.
In my “WAAMM™: 5 Steps to Managing Work and Life Priorities” program, I talk about the 4 levels of prioritization and tips for managing priorities. I’d love to hear from you. What do you do to stay on track and focused on what matters most? Please share your tips and ideas and I’ll include them in future posts!
WAAMM™ stands for What Actions and Attitudes Matter Most and is a principle for setting priorities, staying on track and choosing powerfully.