What I’ve Been Up To... And First Things First

Hi all!  I suppose after so long, some of you may be wondering – what happened to her?  I am waiting for the Third Habit!  Alas, this will not be the post.  In fact, I have given up on implementing the Third Habit – First Things First – because doing it simply isn’t easy.  First off, I need to write my mission statement, long-term, medium-term and weekly goals in all roles/areas of my life (that makes about 7 of them, a lot of goal-setting!) onto my calendar, and plan activities for that week that will move me a step closer to my goals.  This way we organise our week around our priorities, and we can say no to other things.  Sounds good in theory.  It's kind of the practicing and actually saying no to other things that gets tricky. 

I actually tried it before, years ago after I just completed the 7 Habits course, and it’s exhausting.  There are so many goals to keep track of, and I know I spent a good chunk of my time on Sunday nights planning it, meticulously penciling in things in specific times of the week, and then checking if I kept to it the previous week.  I guess there are many areas in our lives where we don’t like to set goals, and keep trying to work towards them.  Not explicitly.  My mind can only focus on a few areas.  Like for me, health is pretty low priority (thanks to a God-blessed, inherited good constitution), so my goals there will be rather half-hearted.  Top would probably be my role as a cell leader, personal/spiritual goals, and as a mother (sorry hubby!  Sorry work!).  I guess things in those 2 departments are going relatively smoothly, or I almost just coast along, and don’t feel they need much work. 

I also don’t feel like trying it again because apart from the exhaustion of doing all the planning (which is supposed to make life more purposeful and guided but feels kinda anal after a while), I also find it a bit disappointing when I don’t manage to carry out all the planned activities for that week, and worse, if I miss a particular activity week after week (e.g. Quiet Time, journaling time).   It’s like, I guess I need some force greater than me to make me do those things I had planned out at the start of the week.  Yes, though my brain clearly thinks are worth doing and I can see how they are linked to my goals, the shout of the urgent (e.g. work), the visible (e.g. kids) and hedonistic urges (e.g. a bit more sleep, a thrilling fiction book) are still louder than that still, small voice.  I guess not even the most fantastic planner in the world can overcome the slothful nature of man.   I am reminded of a great Christian who said, about waking up early to do QT “Kick yourself!  Prod yourself!  It’s the only way.”  Not so complex, but I am starting to think it might be effective.  Aside from fervently praying that God somehow overtakes my body and bestows me with absolute self-control.

So, I eventually stopped that detailed planning and lived life more loosely and by the flow of the moment.  I think some middle ground is probably best.  I used to want to display my goals prominently in my room, or my wardrobe, basically some place where I would see daily.  So I think reminding ourselves of our goals regularly is a good thing.  I think once I see my goal daily, I will subconsciously plan my day with that in mind.  And I can’t keep track of too many goals.  Perhaps a few really important ones would be good.  And to have a few really important actions or plans to reach my goals would be good too.  But no need to have that week-by-week planning.  As I said, unless one happens to be a planner by nature, it’s exhausting. 

Anyway, this post isn’t about First Things First!  Ah, but too late.  I’m already exhausted.  So I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to another day!