The Law of Priorities – Put First Things First

Everybody must establish a list of priorities, and then learn to put first things first.

The very worst use of your time is to do something well what need not be done at all. The Pareto Principle says that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of the value of your activities. This means that, if you have a list of ten items to accomplish, two of those items will be worth more than the other eight items altogether. To achieve great things, you must always be concentrating on the small number of activities that contribute the greatest value to your life and your work. 

Determine the Consequences
The value of anything in your order of priorities can be measured by assessing the potential consequences of doing it or not doing it. Something that is important has significant consequences to your life and your career. Something that is unimportant has few or no consequences or significance to your life or career. The mark of the superior thinker is your ability to consider possible consequences before you begin.

Let me use a short illustration from the Bible which highlights how one of the wisest leaders of all time used the law of priorities to his advantage. When Solomon became King of Israel, he was given the opportunity to ask God for anything. Instead of requesting riches of fame, he asked for wisdom to lead his people well. What a fantastic answer! God responded by rewarding him not only with the thing he asked for, but also with all the benefits he didn’t request. This incident illustrates how effective prioritizing often works. When you put first things first, you frequently gain the time for nonessentials. Solomon narrowed his wedge, and got it all. No doubt, King Solomon faced the same options we have today:

• 1. Easy Things First: He could have chosen to focus on the easy tasks ahead of him.
• 2. Fun Things First: He could’ve chosen to focus on riches or fame.
• 3. Urgent Things First: He could’ve asked for help in building he temple.
• 4. Hard Things First: He could’ve sought favour with those who didn’t like him.
• 5. First Things First: Instead, he chose to seek wisdom so he could glorify God.

Ask the Key Question 
Bringing it closer home, we must be prepared to answer one key question when it comes to our day to day activities. Continually ask yourself, “What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?” And whatever it is, work on that. Your ability to discipline yourself to work on those few tasks that can make the greatest difference in your life is the key quality that makes everything else possible for you.

You can apply this law immediately by making a list of everything that you do as a part of your job or to do list. Now, analyze the list and select the three to five things that are more important than everything else put together. Remember to put first things first and get to work.

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