Written by: Vickie Sullivan | January 02, 2025
How to Prioritize Your Time and Let Go of Outdated Routines
Happy New Year! I’m kicking off 2025 not by adding more resolutions to my to-do list but by taking something off my plate. Here’s why: After a roller coaster 2024, my theme for this year is … easy. I’m focusing on ways to prioritize my time and asking, “Is this task/process/experience necessary? And why?” As a result, I’ve paused the podcasts I had been including with my blog posts. I may stop them forever. The jury is still out on that.
I have several reasons for doing this, but the bigger question I want to ask is this: How do you know when to let go of something you’ve done for a long time (in my case, eight years)? Two considerations I used:
• To make time for something better. It wasn’t that I disliked doing the podcasts. But they doubled the time to get the blog posts out. This year, I realized I need to prioritize my time more intentionally. I didn’t mind the time required for the podcasts until I wanted to shift my focus to something else. What I learned from 2024 is that a significant source of my struggles comes from adding without subtracting. This is an opportunity to change an old habit.
• The purpose of the podcasts got lost. I never thought they received the same engagement as the written posts. To justify the time involved, I had to return to my intent and ask, “Are these blog posts enough? What do the audio clips bring to the party?” Honestly, I didn’t have a good answer. So, unless and until I know the void that the audio fills, the podcasts are sidelined.
It’s easy to get into a routine and do something just because you decided to do it a long time ago. But if you want to prioritize your time effectively, it’s essential to check in and ask, “Is the reason why I’m doing this still valid? Is the time/effort investment worth it?” Making our lives easier requires us to get off autopilot and let go of what used to be a good idea.
Now Read This:
- Great Things Happen When We Slow Down
- Strategic Sounding Boards Give Real-World Advice for When the Rubber Meets the Road
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