How to Put First Things First

Book Review: First Things First by Stephen R. Covey

Time management.

Think about the concept. How does it make you feel? Confined or free? Stuck or supported? Rebellious or relaxed? Stressed or self-confident?

We each have beliefs about time and time management. Some of us like to be very organized and planned and that creates a sense of control and freedom and fulfillment. Others of us like to be spontaneous and open. We don’t like to be tied to a planner and lots of appointments.

And then there are people like me who are somewhere in the middle! I love to plan ahead some days and not plan on other days. I like to have days full of things to do and days that are wide open.

Is there a system that can accommodate such a wide variety of preferences?

Yes!

Is the book First Things First there are concepts of time management that I have been able to tailor to my preferences of sometimes being planned and sometimes not, yet at the end of the day and week, I feel fulfilled and confident that I put “first things first” and that does give me a sense of stability and peace that I really enjoy.

Here’s the basic breakdown of how I have applied the concepts in First Things First:

1. Connect with your sense of mission and purpose.
2. Weekly review your roles and prayerfully make goals in the areas you feel you should focus on during the week. Schedule the priorities that you can and for those that aren’t the appointment-type, watch for a time during the week that spontaneously shows up. The only thing Covey says applies to everyone here is what he calls “sharpening the saw” which is making goals in four areas that help you take good care of yourself so you can feel and perform well. The areas are physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
3. Daily plan your time and review your commitments and goals. Strive to be “divinely centered” as you go throughout your days so you can have “integrity in the moment of choice” which in my experience means that I mostly stick with my plans and goals but I’m flexible for when the Spirit guides me to do something other than what I had planned.

Connect with Your Basic Purpose, Your Roles, and Your Goals

If you have a mission statement, a patriarchal blessing, or just a deep sense of purpose, that’s awesome! If not, there is a “Mission Statement Workshop” starting on page 307 that can help you out. Right now you can start thinking about and praying about your purpose. I fumbled around with this a lot and tried different things until one night out of the blue, I wrote out a “mission statement” that feels right to me. My point? Don’t worry if you don’t have a solid grasp on “your purpose”. Just start tuning in and paying attention and see what comes. Each week, have a personal weekly planning session. Begin by tuning into your mission or purpose the best you can or by simply saying a heart-felt prayer.

Then review your roles and prayerfully make goals. Your roles are all the hats you wear. For me I’m an individual, a wife, a mother, a home manager, an author and a blogger, a church member, a community member, a school supporter, a musician, a friend, and a family member. Brother Covey says to condense your roles to seven at the max because some research suggests that the typical human brain can keep track of that many roles pretty well, but not more. So, I condensed my stuff this way:

1. Individual
2. Wife
3. Mom
4. Author/blogger
5. Church, community, school
6. Friend and family member
7. Home Manager

Covey suggests that you prayerfully ask “What is the most important thing I could do in each role this week to have the greatest positive impact?” (p. 86) and then list no more than three things per role, knowing that some weeks you may not make goals for every role and that is totally fine.

Schedule your goals as possible, being aware that some things can’t be scheduled, like having a heart-to-heart talk with a family member. You may have to watch for opportunities for some things, but schedule what you can.

I combine this process with some tips I got from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. Actually, my husband read Getting Things Done and shared things that developed into my “week-at-a-glance” one sheet system, which I’ll share next week.

Now for some common obstacles when talking about time management:

There’s so much I could do! I have a hard time narrowing down roles and goals. If seven roles feels too overwhelming, find a number that works for you. List out all the things you do and play with crossing some things off and combining other things. I used to lead a small exercise/dance class, but I found that to be one thing that I felt I could let go without being upset about it. I combined my church, community, and school roles into one. I put my “musician” hat into the church role since I play the piano for sacrament meeting and primary and do a lot of practice for that. Looking at your life through the lens of roles can really help you balance out your time and find that you are making contributions and doing things that really matter to you.

I feel suffocated when I use a planning system. I just want to go with the flow. I understand! I have had to find a balance between planning and being unplanned. It’s not impossible. But I’ve found that planning supports me in doing fulfilling things rather than just frittering my time away. Give it a try for a week or two and see if you find it to be more supportive than you think. Just go easy and don’t overschedule, overplan, or set too many goals.

I feel overwhelmed when I think of all the things I could do! That’s where prayer and perspective come in. You are looking over a week, which holds a lot of minutes and hours. You can do a lot in a week! And when you prayerfully identify what will be more important and fulfilling, it can be very exciting to plan when you’ll do them or watch for a time.

What if I don’t get everything done within a week? Just don’t worry about it. And tune in during your next planning session to see what you should keep as a goal and what you should adjust or let go of.

Time management can be fun, inspiring, and supportive. You can watch yourself progress, reach goals, and do the things that matter most to you. If you have any success stories or techniques you’d like to share regarding time management, please contact me here.

Happy Planning!

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