Prioritize & Organize

Since starting to work from home, I’ve been reading some self-development books, (don’t confuse these with self-help books…LOL!). I knew even before I got started, that to live a less stressful life (whether you work from home or not), the key is to get as organized as possible. I still have a loooong way to go, but I’m getting started!

Have you ever heard of getting your life and priorities organized? This is what I’ve been thinking and praying about this past week…how can I get my priorities organized in a way where my decision making will be that much easier? It makes sense, doesn’t it, if you have your personal and family priorities straight, there are many decisions that will be very easy to make because they either fit or don’t fit into your life.

My very first step was to set my top 3 priorities, and this is what they look like:

1)      FAITH – In everything that I choose to do in life, my faith and values cannot be compromised.

2)      FAMILY – My family cannot suffer or be compromised in my life’s decisions, I have been put on this earth to be a wife and mom, and I take this job very seriously.

3)      SERVICE – I have recently been convicted that I need to have a servant’s heart. I need to love and serve others more, without expecting anything in return (this doesn’t mean I have to say yes to everything that comes my way).

Now, the next step of organizing my life is to make sure I don’t take on too much so that I can do a good job at everything I take on. Also, to make sure that my top 3 priorities (faith, family and being a servant) don’t suffer. I broke down my life into jobs and responsibilities. I heard from someone that you shouldn’t take on more ‘jobs’ than 6 or 7, if you do, some things, or some people start to suffer (usually your family and yourself included, because you’re overwhelmed and stressed out). These are my 6 jobs or responsibilities at this stage in my life. They will change often, so I will make sure I evaluate them frequently and make any changes necessary (for example, as of Aug this year, I will no longer be an employee!).

1)      Wife

2)      Mother

3)      Caretaker of the home

4)      Employee

5)      Entrepreneur

6)      Church nursery leader

I challenge you to do the same, make sure you know exactly what your priorities are (figure them out with your spouse to make sure you guys are on the same page). Then narrow down what your jobs are, you may have too much on your plate, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed, really think about letting go of a few things. Vice-versa, if you’re getting bored on a daily basis, add something…why not volunteer somewhere? Maybe you have some family, neighbours, school, etc that could use a helping hand?