Gain Clarity on Where to Focus First – Day #3
Making Time to Reflect, Refocus and Realign
Welcome back to Day #3 of the 30 Day Challenge to learn how to invest in yourself first! During the 30 Day journey towards financial wellness, we are building the habit of blocking off at least 5% of our TIME for our own growth before committing to anyone or anything else. This means setting aside intentional blocks on your calendar to reflect, refocus and realign.
On Day #2 of the 30 Day Challenge you looked for recurring themes in your list of goals and priorities. As goals are grouped together, larger themes begin to emerge on what matters most at this point of the journey. Goals change over time as we change, and it’s important to let go of the ones that no longer fit. This reinforces the importance of investing TIME to reflect, refocus and realign.
Now that you have a clearer picture of your personal goals, we’ll move on to the step 3. Today, carefully evaluate your list of goals in terms of priority. It’s challenging enough to block out 5% of your TIME to focus on yourself and that is why this next step is so important. You most likely will not be able to give the appropriate focus and resources needed to work on all of your goals at once.
First, review your list of personal goals. Put an asterisk next to any goal that absolutely must happen above all else. These are your foundational goals – setting the groundwork to build the life you want. Take TIME to think through which are the most critical goals to help move you forward.
Next, place an asterisk next to any goal that is urgent and time-sensitive. As much as we hate deadlines, they can become great motivators for action. If the opportunity to accomplish a goal has a very defined window of opportunity or specific requirements, be sure to note that next to the goal.
Finally, place an asterisk next to the one goal that will have the greatest immediate impact on your financial wellness. Think about how each of your goals will optimize even more your skills, resources, connections and contributions towards living the life you want.
Now that you’ve evaluated your goals in terms of priority, put them in order starting with the most critical/urgent. Save your list for Day #4, when we will evaluate your goals in terms of TIME.
Be sure to share your insights, questions and comments along the way.