by Heather Martin, VPG Contributor
During this past Christmas season, I found myself with too many priorities and not enough time. My daughter was visiting with my first grandchild, but I still had work to do, both for my main job and my work with VPG. One Friday night in December, I was contemplating the next day. I was supposed to spend the morning touring historic holiday homes with family, but I realized I had an assignment I hadn’t completed for one of my jobs. I felt overwhelmed and underperforming. It was then that I realized that I needed to find a balance in all my priorities.
This is a common conundrum for anyone who works and wants to have any sort of social life, whether it be with family, friends, or simply finding time for themselves. As this new year begins, it’s a great time to ensure we do this. Not only will we feel better personally, but we will be better team members. The big question is how to do this successfully.
In a blog post on Yellow Brick, Sandra Wachenheimer listed three steps to perform this delicate balance.
Know your limits. This is important for mental health. It’s easy to say yes to please others, but we should remember to please ourselves, too. In the upcoming year, remember it’s ok to say no. There will not always be hours in the day to do everything, and it’s fine to acknowledge it and allow ourselves some breathing room during the week.
Know your priorities. Doing this helps us to know what sacrifices need to be made. A truth of life is that we must understand what is most important to us and figure out where to sacrifice. On that Saturday, I went to the historic homes; I shared the morning with not just my daughters but my mother and nieces as well. In the evening, I forewent some Christmas movie-watching and gingerbread baking to finish my project. It didn’t take as long as I thought so I could join a little later. I felt good about my decisions as I was able to do two things that were important to me.
Organize your days. By identifying and calendaring the important things, both personal and work, we can ensure we get them done. Then, other things that don’t make that grand priority list can be fit in or sacrificed as needed.
I am excited for this new year and all of its possibilities. I am looking forward to things both personally and professionally, and as I learn to prioritize my life better, I feel that I will truly be able to accomplish all of them. Happy New Year & Happy Prioritizing!
Wachenheimer, Sandra. “Juggling It All- How to Balance Competing Priorities - YellowBrick.” YellowBrick - Transition and Activation Planning Services, 16 Feb. 2021. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
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