There is an endless stream of decisions and content constantly vying for our attention. With the way the world is today, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters the most. So how exactly does one keep their priorities straight? How do you determine what requires your attention and what can be addressed later?
The first thing to do is figure out what is most important to you. What aspect of your life do you believe requires the bulk of your attention or will suffer if you neglect it? Once you’ve figured that out, it’s time to come up with a plan.
Dividing your time won’t be easy, but it will certainly pay off in the long run. With a plan, you can always ensure that you are doing the right thing at the right time.
It may be hard figuring out what is most important to you, and this is a great opportunity to seek outside help. Look for someone that has passed through the same stage in life at some point and learn from their mistakes and successes.
Seeing your situation from someone else’s point of view ought to put things in perspective. The crux of prioritizing involves eliminating distractions.
As I mentioned earlier, many things are constantly vying for your attention. Now that you understand what is important, you need to dedicate less and less time to the excesses.
Always take time to reflect at the end of the day and evaluate where you are. If you’re honest with yourself, you will recognize whether or not you are making progress with structuring your life. Don’t lose hope if you aren’t.
Instead, take concrete steps towards doing better and keep in mind what is important. Create a list if you have to, but make sure to have some form of a physical reminder that draws you back whenever you seem to be getting distracted.
Priority Quotes
For instance, you could keep a printout of quotes that remind you to prioritize what is important. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of such quotes and hope that you feel inspired by the words of those that have been through different stages in life.
1. “Thinking changes priorities, Priorities change lives.” – Nitin Namdeo
2. “Prioritizing your time is more important than prioritizing your task.” – Nitin Namdeo
3. “Priorities are not about including essential but removing inessential.” – Nitin Namdeo
4. “Your priority should not be to make living but to live life.” – Nitin Namdeo
5. “You will always find a way to do the things that matter most.” – Nitin Namdeo
6. “Your decisions are always in harmony with the priorities you set in your life.” – Nitin Namdeo
7. “Priorities vary according to wishes.” – Nitin Namdeo
8. “Your thinking tells where you want to go, but your priorities dictate where you will reach.” – Nitin Namdeo
9. “It is true that along with your desires, your preferences also change.” – Nitin Namdeo
10. “We may be unaware of it, but our priorities shape our character.” – Nitin Namdeo
11. “Action expresses priorities.” – Mahatma Gandhi
12. “Never make someone your priority when all you are to them is an option.” – Maya Angelou
13. “Happiness is not a priority for me.I prefer the dangers of being madly in love.” – Paulo Coelho
14. “Life is about doing things that matter first, not last” – Richie Norton
15. “Know what matters most to you and be unwilling to compromise those priorities at almost any price.” – Frank Sonnenberg
16. “The root of productivity is in personal priorities. Know what matters to you and why.” – Melissa Steginus
17. “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” – Dallin H. Oaks
18. “The most important thing in life is knowing the most important things in life.” – David F. Jakielo
19. “To change your life, you need to change your priorities.” – Mark Twain
20. “Wise are those who learn that the bottom line doesn’t always have to be their top priority.” – William Arthur Ward
21. “If it’s a priority you’ll find a way. If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse.” – Jim Rohn
22. “Your life will be a blessed and balanced experience if you first honor your identity and priority.” – Russell M. Nelson
23. “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
24. “Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important.” – Charles E. Hummel
25. “In a way, I have simplified my life by setting priorities.” – Karen Duffy
26. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey
27. “Sometimes things in life happen that allow us to understand our priorities very clearly. Ultimately you can see those as gifts.” – Mariska Hargitay
28. “Lack of time is actually lack of priorities.” – Tim Ferriss
29. “Good things happen when you get your priorities straight.” – Scott Caan
30. “The mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital ones.” – Brandon Sanderson
31. “Step out of your comfort zone, set priorities, do the work, and achieve your dream.” – Nitin Namdeo
32. “To be successful you have to know what matters most.” – Nitin Namdeo
33. “Make priorities based on your goals and not desires.” – Nitin Namdeo
34. “Priorities influence action.” – Nitin Namdeo
35. “Only those who are well aware of the instability of life give importance to priorities in life.” – Nitin Namdeo
36. “When you learn how to set priorities, you will have enough sense to differentiate between urgent and important.” – Nitin Namdeo
37. “You wander less when you know what is best.” – Nitin Namdeo
38. “Priority kills the overload of the tasks.” – Nitin Namdeo
39. “People always know what is best for them, yet they spend more time on things that are less important, and this is just due to lack of prioritization.” – Nitin Namdeo
40. “When you know where you have to go, you do not go where you do not have to go. Priority is all about knowing where you have to go.” – Nitin Namdeo
41. “Prioritizing the task is an act, prioritizing the time is an art.” – Nitin Namdeo
42. “Never make priority based on benefit but based on value.” – Nitin Namdeo
43. “Find the purpose, make the priorities, do the work, achieve the goal.” – Nitin Namdeo
44. “Knowing what is unnecessary is the best way to know what has to do first.” – Nitin Namdeo
45. “Setting priorities is like cleaning your room, you don’t need to add any special stuff, you just have to remove the unnecessary stuff.” – Nitin Namdeo
46. “Apart from your likes and dislikes, the way you talk also tells a lot about your preferences.” – Nitin Namdeo
47. “Your current situation reflects your past priorities and your today’s priorities give a glimpse of your future.” – Nitin Namdeo
48. “In a country where miracles are been emphasized, people lose their sense of priority.” – Sunday Adelaja
49. “The needs of the people around you should your utmost priority.” – Sunday Adelaja
50. “My family is always my priority.” – J.R. Smith
51. “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen Covey
52. “Life is short. Focus on what really matters most; you should change your priorities over time.” – Roy T. Bennett
53. “We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs.” – Gloria Steinem
54. “Having priorities is essential. So is having them in the right order.” – Michael Hyatt
55. “We don’t drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there.” – Andy Stanley
56. “When you know what’s most important to you, making a decision is quite simple.” – Anthony Robbins
57. “One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.” – Sidney Howard
58. “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” – Steve Jobs
59. “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.” – Brian Tracy
60. “You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” – Charles Bixton