Subscribe
Subscribe via RSS
Organize, Prioritize, Reorganize. . . Click
I emailed my brother a few days ago and mentioned that I’m determined not to become overwhelmed with all there is to do. He said, “Remember what Dad would say, “Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.”
Our dad was an organization person. He viewed “getting organized” as the solution to most problems. Mom would mutter that she couldn’t get done everything she needed to, and Dad would respond, “Well, you need to get organized.”
The story goes that one day Mom called him at work and said, “I was organized for today, but Duane started vomiting and then Gordon got sick, too, and nothing has gone as planned.”
After a brief pause he responded, “Well, . . . reorganize!” And she hung up.
Two Simple Guides for Setting Boundaries
Unexpected challenges or opportunities come up all the time and we have to determine our priorities. Sometimes we have to say no to people. Sometimes we have to draw tough boundaries.
I’ve discovered that many boundary matters can be immediately settled by asking two simple questions:
- For professional decisions: What impact would this have on the mission of the university [or insert your priority mission]?
- For personal decisions: Is this something I would like to do?
Of course some situations are complex and require more in-depth analysis. Some situations require a crisis response. But for most decisions, starting with these two questions has been very effective in bringing immediate clarity to the issue at hand.
Comments (0)
Leave a comment...