Everyone is quick to tell you to “stick to your priorities,” but few actually know how to define them in the first place.
You might assume you know your priorities: get enough sleep, exercise regularly, eat healthily, focus on your career, spend time with family, etc. Of course, these are great goals to have, but do they actually align with your passions and values in life? Do they genuinely fill your cup, or is there more you’re searching for in life?
Want to understand your priorities—and how to actually honor them? Here are three ways to define your priorities in the new year.
1. Understand Your Values
To identify your priorities, you must first understand your values. What’s important to you in life? What makes you feel most like yourself? These questions will help you align your everyday actions with your higher purpose.
For example, as a writer, I value self-expression and creativity. When I don’t carve out time for that, it shows. I’m often easily irritated, clouded, and even sometimes anxious and depressed. Last year, I found myself in this exact predicament. Though I write for work, I wasn’t allowing myself time to write for myself—to channel my creativity and passion into personal projects, like my book manuscript or my Substack.
Because my priorities weren’t reflecting what I value most in life, I felt entirely disconnected from myself. Does that mean writing should consume every aspect of my life? Of course not. I still want to make time for my loved ones, advance in my career, move my body each day, and take care of my mental health (my other values). But writing deserves a spot on that list, too.
2. Identify Your Goals
Your goals, both short-term and long-term, will naturally help you define your priorities. From traveling the world to starting a family to simply hitting the gym on a more regular basis, no goal is too insignificant or too outlandish. If you want something badly enough, you’ll prioritize the small actions it takes to achieve the goal.
For example, let’s use my writing objective mentioned above. Though it’s a massive undertaking, I’m striving to finish my novel this year. To do so, I am prioritizing daily writing sprints, giving my best energy to my book before other high-energy tasks/activities, and setting aside time for monthly editing sessions.
This might mean missing out on some social gatherings, spending Friday nights at my local cafe instead of the bar, and even waking up earlier to sneak in some writing before work. However, these small sacrifices show me where my priorities lie and make all the difference.
3. Ask Yourself What’s Missing
When I asked myself what was missing during my end-of-year reflection, I intuitively knew I had neglected my creative writing. I’d dedicated too much time to obsessing over my appearance or allowing fear and insecurity to dictate my priorities. I shared more about this on my Instagram.
As mentioned earlier, this negatively impacted how I showed up in my life. I started losing touch with my truest self, felt my spirit lose its spark.
Is there an area of life—perhaps your personal relationships or maybe a passion you’ve told yourself was no longer important—you’d like to pour more energy into? Do you notice a gaping hole in your life that something else once occupied? Be honest with yourself when reflecting, and be aware of any excuses you make for not prioritizing those things.
Of course, we naturally must prioritize our survival in this world. We must ensure there’s money in the bank, food on the table, a roof over our heads…but when that’s all said and done, how can you carve out more time for yourself?
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