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Put first things first
I have referenced Steve Covey’s paradigm shifting masterpiece, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, on numerous occasions. One of the cardinal habits Covey emphasizes is the ability to put first things first in one’s life. In other words, priorities or matters of great importance should never be supplanted by matters of lesser importance.
Naturally each of us has to discern what is truly important. However, universally the most satisfied and effective individuals share a common passion for placing a premium on health, long-term goals and relationships.
The information age has made it harder than ever to put first things first. The barrage of emails, texts and phone messages we all experience often jeopardizes the fulfillment of many dreams and goals. The endless stream of information has simply cajoled many of us to let other’s needs determine our lives.
Urgent vs. important
Covey thoroughly develops the importance of discerning matters of true importance compared to those matters that are “urgent” but, in the final analysis, are not really important. For example, the “urgent” email concerning the trial of a new suture anchor pales in comparison to planning your wife’s birthday celebration.
Rarely some events do demand immediate attention, such as the open fracture in the trauma bay. These urgent and important events are fortunately few and far between.
Covey illustrates the importance of “first things first” with an analogy:
If you were given several rocks of varying size plus sand and were asked to fill a box with all the included items, how are you to proceed? The answer is intuitive. You must put the big rocks in first. If one were to place the sand and smaller pebbles in first, then there would be no room for the big rocks.
What are the big rocks in your life? Are they answering emails or our health, self-development and family?
Stay on track
To gain control of our lives, we all need to spend some quiet time in reflection to discern our big rocks. Again for most people, matters of health, personal goals and family usher forth the most satisfaction. Once the big rocks are recognized, then use a weekly planner and list action steps to fulfill these goals. Then first thing in the morning, execute your life around these action steps.
Refuse the temptation to answer email first thing in the morning. You are letting others interfere with what is important to you. Set aside a daily segment of time to answer electronic correspondences. If you don’t, your life will be like a buoy tossed amongst the waves.
For me, the big rocks are protected with daily quiet time in the morning for reflection. I schedule exercise three times a week. I refer to a list of personal goals regularly and, most importantly, I spend at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted time with my wife every evening (call schedule permitting).
The emails can wait. Reclaim your life. Resist the temptation of being lived electronically.