Keeping "First Things" First

One of my all time favorite personal/professional development books is First Things First by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill.

I originally read First Things First years ago (1994) when it first came out and I was very busy with children at home, work, volunteer work, Church, relationships... all pressing for a piece of my time and energy.

This book is about time management using your identified “first things” to help build a life of integrity and legacy, with the main objective being - keeping the main thing, the main thing. It was a tremendous help to sift through all the good activities, relationships, responsibilities and things that mattered most to me and identify what really were the most important to me.

Once I identified what my “first things” were, I then had an anchor to help ground and focus me when requests demanding my time, energy and attention pulled me this direction or that. I distinctly remember the freedom I felt and the assurance that I was in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time. It was awesome!

Below are important aspects for identifying and implementing this time management strategy.

• Preparation – Rituals are important; create a space everyday for yourself to focus on the most important things in your life. Use this time to start the process and to anchor your day.....
• Prevention –Anticipate distractions before they happen and plan around them. Do not let interruptions, trivia, busywork, time wasters and other distractions rob you of your time, energy and focus.
• Values clarification – Identify the three to four areas that you consider to be the “first things” in your life: relationships, contributions you would like to make, feelings you want to have in your life, e.g. peace, confidence, meaning......
• Planning – “A conscious commitment to the important.” Make the time to plan!
• Relationship building – Who are the most important people in your life? How do you show them that they are important? What are your actions?
• Empowerment – For others, and for yourself. You can do this!

Two additional important steps in this process are letting go of the things that are not “first things” and committing to your “first things” in those moments of choice.

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