I envision everyone reading this nodding and raising their hand. I face this challenge pretty much every day, being a highly motivated, goal-oriented professional. Many of you are the same way if you are reading this blog.

Too often I compile a ridiculous list of things I want to accomplish in the day, the week, the quarter, and the year. I then look at this list and balance the emotions of excitement and overwhelming stress.

Here’s the reality:

If you often feel like you don’t have enough time, it means you don’t have clear enough priorities.

I heard Tim Ferriss say something to this effect on one of his podcasts, and it immediately summarized my dilemma with such clarity.

If I’m being honest with myself, I do feel I do a better than average job of setting priorities and saying “no” to the less important things. But I am nowhere as effective as I would like to be in this area.

The above mindset has really forced me to think about my “to-do’s” each day. Am I doing THE most important things first? Am I setting myself up for failure by setting TOO many goals for 2017?

It comes back to this question: What ONE thing if accomplished, would have the biggest impact on my work/life/finances?  

Using this as a filter really helps me gain greater clarity on my priorities…daily, weekly, and yearly.

What tips do YOU have? What works for you?