👣 Step 57: Prioritize, Then Prioritize Again

Last Saturday, I ran the Courir a la Musique 8k and had a blast! Beautiful weather, amazing friends, a rich Cajun culture, and I actually hit my pace goal with 10:31.

Even though I had fun and did pretty well, I wasn't nearly as trained as I planned to be. Over the past month, I've had to prioritize other things, and running just fell into the maintenance category.

And that's okay.

Prioritization has been a big thing for me the past few weeks, and I want to talk about it, because it's deeper than time management.

Time management is how you get things done.

Prioritization is why.

Time management without prioritization is directionless. You're just doing things with no consistent end goal in mind.

Priorities give you direction and focus.

Think: if you have two things scheduled for the same time, which one do you choose?

The one that brings you the most value and aligns most with your goals.

Prioritize whatever does that.

Now, prioritization requires you to know what you value in the first place and have some goals set. And only you can do that - no one else.

But once you envision your larger picture and understand what matters to you, prioritization helps you make progress toward that.

And know that your priorities can change often! Monthly, weekly, even daily. And that's okay! But that shows the importance of always evaluating and re-evaluating your priorities.

So yes, I had to deprioritize running for a weeks, but that's because personal priorities (like sleep/rest) and professional opportunities (like Paint the Town Red and a College of Business dinner) more aligned with what I valued in the moment and what will provide me with me more long-term growth and momentum.

I've had to shift my priorities in a lot of other areas too, such as foregoing my annual Sigma Chi trip to Chicago to focus on quality time with Ashley (which is hard to come by with our busy schedules) and foregoing downtime on the weekends to focus on VibeTribe's development.

An even more personal example: my grandfather's interment is in Slidell tomorrow - the same time as an important Board committee meeting I agreed to months ago. My dad said he's completely fine if I don't go. I didn't have a relationship with my grandfather, and my dad didn't either.

But I'm going. Why? Because I care about my dad. And even though he said he'd be fine, I want to be there for him in case he's not.

Because when I look back in 5, 10, 30 years from now, am I going to care more that I went to a meeting or that I was there for my dad, even if he ends up being completely fine? I think it's obvious.

What do you care about? What do you value? What are your goals?

And what actions most align with them? What actions will make future you happier that you did them?

Prioritize those.

See you next Thursday, Steppers.

We will succeed,

Grayson

​graysonstepanek.com​

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Song of the Week:

softie brakence PREVIEW   ​

Brakence has swung fully back into my rotation since his album roll out started, and man, I forgot how much I love this song. This was when his sound was more stripped back and mellow, and it just adds to the nostalgia and head-nodding vibes. Such a phenomenal yet underrated artist.