“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."  

--Michael Altshuler

If we want to design our life and live it according to our calling and our own personal dreams and desires, we need strategies. Good strategies take into account your top priorities. If we don't prioritize those things that are most important, the urgent will get in the way of what is important. I know if I don't have a list of the most important items that I want to accomplish on any given day, my time gets frittered away by the unimportant. 

Here's a question for you?  As you look ahead to the next 6 months, what is a primary area in your life or work that you would like to experience growth in? How are you going to make sure that happens?

John Maxwell has a strategy called the Rule of 5.  It is a list of five things that you do on a daily basis that moves you closer to your goal.  Let me illustrate the principle behind this rule: 

I have a tree that I want to chop down in my back yard. I also have a million other things to do as well as chop down the tree. One way to get that done is just go out and chop at that tree everyday just 5 times. In time, you will drop that tree. It doesn’t matter what the size of the tree is—a larger tree will take more time than a smaller tree.  This is the power of compounding. That which you do daily is what you get done. A few things done right everyday, is better than a lot of things done right every day.   
 

The point is to study the few activities you do that generate most of the results and gain an understanding of what the build-up activities are which lead to those results. Then plan each day around those daily disciplines.

Whether you are creating a Rule of 5 for your organization or yourself, the following few tips will help you get started.

1.  Write down your main goal. This will be your guiding light as you create your Rule of 5. Your Rule of 5 are the steps you must take in order to achieve your goal.

2.  Build your “important” list. This can be done in a variety of ways:

a: Make a to-do list for your day. Include everything that must be done that day, as well as items you aim to complete over time.

b: Write down a list of everything you do to be successful. This can range from reading and writing to engaging with team members and building relationships.

3.  Rank the items in order of priority. If various items are similar, you can categorize them to help with the prioritization process.

4.  Highlight the top 20 percent of your priorities and make a memorable list of 5 things that allows you to allocate the majority of your time to those things.

5.  Print your Rule of 5 and hang it where it is frequently seen.
 

Repetition is key.

After completing these 5 steps, confidently live out your Rule of 5 every day… even on weekends, and even when you’re busy.  That is how you make sure you grow in the area that you desire.  Gandhi said, "If we don't prioritize our life, somebody else will."  I have certainly found that to be true.

Go and grow!

Jan