In my last post, I shared some ideas about balancing boundary-setting and planning with flexibility when making choices about how to use your time. In this entry, I’ll share some questions to ask yourself to diagnose whether your current pattern of decision-making is working for you.
1. When you make a choice to change priorities and work on something other than what you’d planned, how do you typically feel afterwards about your decision in the hours, day and weeks following? If you usually feel good about what you’ve accomplished long-term and short-term, you’re likely striking a good balance with flexibility and structure in managing your time.
2. Do you worry a lot about missing things or how people will react if you say no? If you are often changing your plans because you are anxious or afraid rather than because you deep down feel it’s the best use of your time, you might need to think about what you are sacrificing by putting our own priorities last.
3. Do you have one or more stalled big projects that are important but not urgent, and always fall to the bottom of your list despite your planning time to work on these projects? If so, is the work you’re doing instead truly more important? If it’s not, you might need to examine what you are prioritizing and why, and how you can arrange your time and defend your boundaries more effectively.
Next week, I’ll write about how to start changing your behavior to prioritize the things that truly matter to you.
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