What No One Tells You About Finding Balance
When I went to business school, I had two main goals: Get a job at a consulting firm and make great friends.
I was very clear with myself that those were my priorities. I did not want anything else to get in the way.
At the end of my first semester, I had a job at the consulting firm I wanted, and I had a ton of great friends. Mission accomplished!
And then my grades came out. We didn’t use a letter grading system, but they were the equivalent of getting all Bs.
My heart stopped in my chest. ALL Bs??? Across the board? Not even ONE A?
Immediately, I jumped into action. I needed to get my act together. I needed to work harder. I needed to go to office hours. I needed a study plan. I need to turn this around.
And then I paused. Hang on… What were my priorities again?
I got the job. I got the friends.
That must mean…
My all-B report card was a sign that I had prioritized RIGHT.
This was not a failure or anything I needed to solve.
This was what balance and prioritization looked like.
So here’s the question I have for you—
What are your priorities?
And what are your UN-priorities?
What are the Bs (and Cs, and Ds!) that you want to see in the un-prioritized areas of your life, that will tell you that you are on track with your priorities?
Is it leaving dishes in the sink most nights of the week?
Always coming to the office twenty minutes late?
Leaving at least 10 emails unanswered every day?
Going to at least 3 meetings a week unprepared?
Don’t just be clear on your priorities.
Be just as clear on your UN-priorities.
And set the standard for the consistent UN-success that you want to see in your UN-priority areas.
Because the true sign of effective prioritization…
…is consistent underperformance in NON-prioritized areas.
Stop beating yourself up for not doing everything at an A+ level or burning yourself out trying.
You have limited time, energy, and bandwidth.
Stop trying to pretend otherwise and focus on the things that matter.
And then deliberately let the rest sit in mediocrity.
Planned underperformance doesn’t make you a failure.
It makes you an effective CEO of your life.
PS: Does this sound amazing in theory…but putting it in practice feels as painful as pulling teeth?
I get it. And that’s exactly what I specialize in.
Come talk to me and let’s uncover WHY it’s so hard to actually do this and WHAT you can do starting today to put your priorities in action and create the life you actually want.
Don’t just think about it. Let’s get it done.
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