How to Maximize Your Time Use by Determining Your Priorities

What you may consider a priority might not be to another person. Conversely, other people's priorities might not be a priority to you. It doesn't mean though that you can't have similar priorities. What are the most common priorities of the majority of people? Here is a list of the most chosen priorities most people pursue, with a suggestion or two on how to actively materialize them. Yours might not be in the list but the idea remains the same - to pursue them in the most convenient way in order to maximize time use. Oh, a word of caution: too many priorities are not all priorities. So define which ones are and focus only on them, not on all of them. Most people value family as their first priority. If the president's family is called the first family; for most, the family is first. Spending (rather investing) time with your family will strengthen bondage between members. But quantity time is not as important as quality time. Well, if you can inject quantity to quality, so much the better. To be in front of a television set may or may not be quality time. Quality is lost if concentration of each member is glued on the feature in the television set. Some discussion or reaction between family members regarding the feature could lend some quality on time. An intellectual board game may be better. A day trip as a family gets together on a weekend once or twice a month is ideal. Thoughtfulness shown by sending cards or flowers during occasions (better yet when there are no occasions) lifts the relationship between spouses. Health is wealth, as we all know. Your wealth is useless if you have poor health. It is more difficult (although not impossible) to get good health without wealth (even a modest one), so the two are somewhat intertwined. Just follow good eating habits, exercise regularly, and take things in moderation. Not only do you get good health if you exercise with your family (say biking or swimming together with your kids), you develop good family relationship too. Who knows, your kid might be a future professional athlete. Hidden talents are usually discovered by accident. A lot of people consider gathering wealth as part of their priority list, but not to the extent of sacrificing family relationship. While you keep an eye on creating wealth, keep the other eye on your family relationships. Herds of stories about broken families are due to money matters; don't be a part of it. To create wealth, foremost is to live within your means. No matter how small savings are, it is never too small. Savings go to investing. Investing leads to security, financially speaking. We're not talking about hasty investing, but intelligent, calculated investing. Remember that wealth does not come instantly (except the lotto or anything similar). It takes a life long goal to be financially secured. If you'll check the historical background of known wealthy people, most of them got wealthy gradually and slowly. It's like building an edifice; it doesn't rise overnight. It is also common knowledge that hard-earned money stays. Wealth that comes easy, goes easy. Going back to investing, you can invest your hard-earned savings into bonds or trust funds that yield higher interest. Shop and ask around. There are financial planners that can help you get started and going. Just be prudent, alert, and open-minded. If your priority is in career building, specialization is a key factor. To excel in your chosen career means to gather as much knowledge as possible to sustain growth. This ultimately makes you an expert or specialist. To remain as one, you must always be updated of the latest trends and developments. Your world may be narrow, but well-defined. You may need to attend conferences and seminars of your chosen field of expertise. You may also need to read current publications to stay in touch with what's going on out there, even to the point that you have to go back to school for post graduate studies. For some, intellectual growth amazes and interests them. Somehow, this kind of priority can be transferred to future generations. It's like wealth that does not get lost no matter what. One good source of growing intellectually is by traveling. Getting to know cultures you're not familiar with is made familiar by going to where the action is and experiencing it first hand. Read books, especially those related to historical backgrounds so you'll know how things evolve in time. Many people also prioritize spiritual growth. To start with, let your emotions be filled with your belief that a Higher Being is responsible for your existence on earth. Give praise, embrace, and acknowledge that you exist to be of service, not to yourself but to Him by means of helping those in need. Whatever your priorities are, you can have them as long as you focus your time on them.