Lately, I’ve noticed a theme with some of my clients when it comes to taking necessary actions to move them forward towards their goals. There are different variations, but essentially, what I get is “I know what I should be doing, but I’m just not doing it.” The issue here is making a decision to do one thing instead of another – especially when you know what the “right” thing to do is but decide instead to do another seemingly “right” thing. I’ll refer to it as misplaced priorities.
It shows up when both things seem important, but only one is truly urgent and important. The choice you make to do the other thing will cost you in the short or long-term. Going for what seems easy/convenient instead of what is necessary has an impact on performance, growth and success.
Everyone is susceptible to this phenomenon, and unfortunately, in our busy and “everything is urgent” culture, this phenomenon will never go away. It is how the focused and successful ones deal with it that sets them apart. Putting off what you need to get done now for later could cost you.
The biggest costs of misplaced priorities are Time and Money. Time spent on one thing can never be regained to be used on another. Time is money. And money lost to the competition cannot be regained. You snooze, you lose!
Economists call it Opportunity Cost. What is the Opportunity Cost of filling out your expense report instead of making that call? What is the Opportunity Cost of chatting with a colleague about your next vacation instead of sending that email?
Understanding the source of misplaced priorities and how it affects all aspects of one’s performance is key to avoiding it. So, the question you need to ask yourself is: “Why do I do other things when I should be doing this one thing?”
A few of the factors contributing to this idea of priority misplacement include:
Fear: It is easy to succumb to fear, so you’ll do whatever it takes to avoid being in an uncomfortable situation. You know this too well, so I’ll leave it at that.
Losing Sight of What is Important: Considering all options as important instead of what is truly important is a big factor. Yes, expense reports are important but not as important as landing the next big client. Your next vacation is important, but that email you should send could score you an even better next vacation.
Ducks in a Row: This is the idea of wanting to have everything set/in perfect shape before doing what you must. Not only are there chances your ducks will never get lined up perfectly, your competitors are moving along, albeit stumbling, eating your lunch and taking your clients! Doing it well is better than not doing it perfectly.
How do you overcome this phenomenon of priority misplacement? Here are some suggestions:
Keep Your Goals in Mind: Make your goals a top priority daily. When faced with multiple options, let your goals be the litmus test – ask yourself “Will doing this get me closer or further from my goals?” If the answer is “no”, you know what to do!
Build Momentum: Momentum builds on momentum. As you start making better decisions and choices, you will develop more confidence and resilience to make better choices. Keep the structure in place and you’ll be on cruise control in a short while.
Have a Structure: In the book, The One Thing, the
authors suggest ways to create structure to help bring focus on important
things in blocks of time. I believe that when implementing a new pattern/habit,
it helps to do just that. Find ways to be accountable and enroll people in your
immediate environment to support you.
One way to stay accountable is to engage an experienced coach who will have
your best interest in mind. This may be the biggest step in transforming your
mindset to focusing on what is most important to you and not getting distracted
by other things.
Are you ready to focus on the things that matter most and make this year the best one ever? Need help getting momentum? Let’s talk: info@thecommissioninternational.com.
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