Does anybody else feel the tug of war? The one between family and work. How do I prioritize? Does a man or woman who has a family have a disadvantage in the workplace against the new single, agile worker? Try this quote on: “When it comes down to it, the single most important activity in your whole day is prioritization.” This one has saved my bacon countless times with the wife and the boss. Without prioritization you lose focus and end up somewhere you never intended, often times in a knock down drag out with the boss or worse the spouse. I have compiled a short, simple prioritization process below that has helped me sift through the tug of war. I hope something here helps you.
#1 Know what is important to you – This is about values. Are you willing to sacrifice irreplaceable time with loved ones for a newer car, a vacation home, a bigger house? If you are single, dating, or planning to be married, you better be talking about this with your future spouse. Please do this, or your marriage will suffer.
#2 Have a tool that works for you – (i.e. calendar, tasks etc) This is about choices. Are you willing to be disciplined? I have coached many men who don’t schedule their life. inevitably, this is the road to disaster, Here is a saying for you…”be sure your schedule will find you out.”
#3 Use the tool like a bad smoking addiction – This is about repetition. Prioritization is a daily, weekly, continual activity. Especially if you are just starting out, you will have to build disciplines into your life. You need to schedule time to schedule yourself.
#4 Over communicate with everyone – This is about consideration. Are you willing to let your spouse trump your calendar? With your family it is NOT better to ask forgiveness rather than permission, it is foolish. If I can give my boss 24 hour notice to missing a meeting it helps build credibility. I am also finding it helps if my wife uses the same or similar tool as I do.
When all is said and done, You can always get another job, but you were created to have one spouse. Agree or disagree?
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