It is so easy and typical to get caught up in the every day when running a home business–doing the immediate tasks at hand and juggling necessary activities (putting out fires)–we don’t always take the time to set priorities and keep on top of whether or not we are meeting those priorities. While priorities and goals may seem like the same thing, priorities are actually more of an overarching guide for what we are trying to achieve with our businesses.
Setting priorities doesn’t just mean business priorities–especially when you work from home, are taking care of a family, and maybe even have a more traditional job as well. Setting priorities means deciding what matters, what is important and necessary and how these tasks and responsibilities “rank” in terms of importance. Is it more important to be available for your family on weekends or that you take advantage of weekends for sales and events? This isn’t a right or wrong choice. One person may decide that it is important to work on weekends in order to be available during the week to help out in the classrooms of their children, while another may want to work hard during the week in order to have weekends free for family.
It is important to define your own priorities as they fit your life and your personal values–not let the outside world define them for you. Once you have established your priorities, they are not static and set for life. Expect your priorities to change as your business changes, your family grows up, your financial needs shift and change, etc. That’s where the monitoring comes in. Chances are, while keeping an eye on your priorities, you’ll need to do a checkup now and again to see if you have outgrown anything or if your priorities need to shift. For example, if someone in your family is diagnosed with a chronic illness or disability–this may become a new priority for a while, shifting everything else on your “list.”
If you haven’t taken a look at your priorities lately, it might be time for one of those checkups. Now is a great time to set and organize your priorities as we’re heading into a new year.
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