free time takes priority over committed time.

FREE TIME TAKES PRIORITY OVER COMMITTED TIME. FREE

Friends invite you to an event that you don’t want to go to. Politeness: You say yes to things you don’t really want to do in order to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.Į.g. If you want to make a change and do something new, you can.)

FREE TIME TAKES PRIORITY OVER COMMITTED TIME. FREE

Free educational opportunities have never been more abundant. In this case, to make money in a way that brings you joy and fulfillment. The point here is that there are always other ways for you to accomplish a given goal. Doing a job you don’t like but staying with it for the money. Usually with an associated reward of some kind.Į.g. But in reality, you’re chasing after something that matters to someone else. Mismatched incentives: You think that you’re chasing after something that matters. But eating well and getting active means losing the payoff of continual comfort and enjoying indulgent food. Payoffs in the current state: Even when you are aware that you want to change, change means you’d lose the payoffs you’re getting in your current situation. Then, wondering why you wake up feeling tired. Spending the last 30 minutes before sleep looking at a screen. Humans are great at staying reactive, and going with the flow.Į.g. Lack of awareness: You don’t realize that you’re stuck in patterns that aren’t improving your life. Compulsively reaching for your phone and opening Instagram. Even if your habits don’t bring you joy, they’re comfortable enough for you to continue on.Į.g. Mental conditioning: You’re used to doing what you’re used to doing. There are number of culprits at play here. So…why do people act inconsistently with what they value? Why We Don’t Act With Our Priorities in Mind When your priorities align with how you spend your time, you feel great! Joyful. When your behavior doesn’t align with your priorities, you feel unhappy. It’s about maximizing your personal wellbeing. Or on commitments you let into your life without considering their implications.Īligning your priorities with your behavior isn’t about maximizing productivity, or any other external metric. You begrudgingly spend it on the priorities of other people. Living your best life means spending your time in a way that accurately reflects your priorities.īut far too often, time isn’t spent wisely. Or, a more unfortunate response: “That is a priority for me, but I feel committed to spending my time in other ways…” When I told myself and others “I don’t have time for that”, what I should have said is “I’d like to, but that isn’t a priority for me right now.” Which is why spending your time wisely is such an important issue. And once you’ve used it up, it’s gone.Īt the end of your life, you’ll give just about anything to have a few more years of life. My real problem is that I hadn’t taken the time to consider how I spent my time, and why I spent it that way. I’ve always been driven, and keep my calendar full! That statement wasn’t untrue because I lacked personal commitments. When I’d say “I don’t have time for that”, I thought I was speaking the truth. I was untruthful to myself and to others. I have a confession to make: For years, I was untruthful.

Free time takes priority over committed time.