Determining Priorities: How Do I Spend My Time

Priorities are how you spend time

It’s been said to me that setting your priorities is often frustrating, because things don’t work out as we plan. In fact, in one recent conversation I had it was pointed out that how you actually spend your time is what your priorities actually are; anything else is wishful thinking. In other words, your priorities are where you spend your time.

I decided to look at what my actual priorities are. I would like to say that my priorities are myself, family, work, projects. But this is how my time was spent this past Monday. (This is entirely typical for me)

How Do I Spend My Time? Monday

• Get up, Get ready (0.5) [personal]
• Breakfast (0.5) [family]
• Morning reading, meditation (0.25) [personal]
• Commute (.75) [work]
• Work (6) [work]
• Lunch hour - read blog articles (0.5), plan my articles for a week (0.5) [projects]
• Empty dishwasher (0.25) [household]
• Clean zone (0.25) [household]
• Walk dog (0.5) [household]
• Piano practice, lessons (1.5) [family]
• Dinner prep, eating, cleanup (1) [household]
• Computer maintenance tasks (1.5) [household]
• Fold laundry (0.25) [household]
• Daughter time (1.75) [family]
• Nightly tasks (make coffee, clean kitchen, prep dinner) (0.5) [household]
• Reading (1) [personal]

So what are my actual priorities?

1. Work: 6.75
2. Household: 4.25
3. Family: 3.75
4. Personal: 1.75
5. Projects: 1

So for Mondays, my priorities are definitely not in the order I would like.

I am wondering if there really is a way to bring what I would like my priorities to be in line with what they are? I suspect that as long as I work outside the home trading hours for money, no.

Photo by hockadilly