Secret #55 Prioritize Your Priorities

Once you have a personal breakthrough to the biblical idea that your self-worth is NOT based on busyness—you can begin to give yourself the gift of saying no to the right things. But how do you decide what to say yes to and what to say no to? This is where Proverbs 24:27 comes into play: “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that build your house.” In other words, do the most important things first. In the day in which Proverbs was written, getting the fields ready first was critical because it meant food and income for the family. What good is a nice house when you don’t have any food to eat or income?

So how do you decide what’s first and most important?

Try this: Make a list of all things you need to do today. Now ask yourself this question: “If I could only do one item on this list, which one would it be?” Mark that item as #1. Go back through the remaining items on the list and ask the question again. Mark that item as #2. Get the idea? Once the items all have a number, start with #1—and do it until it is completed. Cross it off the list, pause to feel the endorphin rush of accomplishment, and celebrate. Then go on to #2.

Some of you are be thinking, “But what if I don’t get to everything on my list?” To you I say two things: 1) You can take great satisfaction in knowing you did that which was most important, and, 2) Give yourself the gift of saying no.