How to Re-align Yourself and Manage Your Priorities with Stoic Philosophy
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
Do you ever feel like you're constantly on the go, but not making any progress towards what truly matters to you? Maybe you're struggling to manage competing priorities, or feeling overwhelmed by the demands of work and personal life. We also live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with unnecessary distractions.
It's easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, and lose sight of our values and priorities, but with a little bit of self-reflection and organization, you can re-align yourself and focus on what truly matters.
Stoic philosophy emphasizes the importance of self-control and rationality in making intentional choices that align with our values and priorities. It encourages us to let go of what we cannot control, and focus on taking responsibility for what we can control.
In this post, I share some practical exercises and tools to help you re-align yourself and manage your priorities - an inverted triangle starting with a big picture view, down to day-to-day management.
Over the Easter long weekend, I took 6 of my girlfriends to beautiful British Columbia for a little getaway. An intentional weekend of embracing the energy of Spring, to re-connect with ourselves and redefine or sharpen our sense of purpose in life. We stayed at a beautiful chalet with mountain views by Columbia Lake, the perfect backdrop for a weekend of rest, renewal, and realignment.
The mountain view from our hot tub. Columbia Lake, BC.
Each day, we shared and connected in Circle, practised yoga, and engaged in various self-development workshops involving practical growth and life strategy activities. The following exercises and tools are used in the workshop I created: Building A Life You Love - The Art of Living with Purpose.
These are practical exercises and tools that I personally use that can help you manage your priorities and stay focused on what truly matters. I do them in order from 1 - 4, starting with a big picture review and flowing down to day-to-day life. I generally do exercises 1-3 every 6 months, and exercise 4 on a more regular basis.
The Life Wheel Exercise: The life wheel is a tool that helps you assess how satisfied you are in different areas of your life, such as career, relationships, health, and personal growth. By identifying areas where you feel fulfilled and areas where you need improvement, you can make intentional choices about how to allocate your time and energy.
The Relationship Wheel Exercise: Relationships are a key component of our lives, but they can also be a source of stress and distraction. The relationship wheel helps you assess the quality of your relationships, and identify areas where you need to invest more (or less!) time and energy. By cultivating meaningful relationships with people who share your values and priorities, you will feel more supported and fulfilled.
The Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand Exercise: This exercise encourages you to get clarity on what your “big rocks” are; to prioritize your time and energy on the most important tasks and activities that align with your values and priorities. By prioritizing the big rocks first, you can ensure that you're not getting sidetracked by less important tasks and activities.
Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix: This is one of my favourite tools. It helps you categorize tasks and activities based on their urgency and importance. It is easy to get overwhelmed with tasks that are urgent and important, or get caught up with tasks that are urgent but not important, or not urgent and not important. The point of this matrix is to get focused on important, non-urgent tasks to relieve weight from the urgent and important pile, which will in turn help you achieve long-term goals, increase productivity, and avoid burnout.
Let me know if you want more details on each of these tools in the comments below!
As the Stoic philosopher Seneca once said, “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
By using these tools and exercises, you can develop the self-control and rationality needed to stay focused on what truly matters and take responsibility for the things you can control. Let go of what you cannot control, be honest with yourself in reflection, set yourself up for success with realistic goals, and take action towards the life you want to live. Don't let the busyness of life distract you from your goals and aspirations. Re-align yourself, take control of your time and energy, and focus on what truly matters to you!
With Love Always,
Valerie x
Grateful for these women in my life and getting to spend such an intentional weekend of rest, renewal, and realignment with them. Sisterhood is truly such a beautiful and powerful thing.
