How Do You Set Priorities?
By Barbara Eldridge

As a business owner, it’s easy to get caught up in the bustle of day-to-day business. In the drive to make sure you will reach your monthly financial goal, it can be tempting to spend a significant portion of your time fighting the myriad fires that crop up every day. Instead, take the time to step back and set "laser-sharp" priorities to focus on what’s really important – and keep yourself from spending time on what’s not.

When you have set goals for the business the priorities should be unmistakably clear and specific, you know what to focus on and, therefore, what should get your attention, resources, and follow-through. "The right priorities, combined with appropriate follow-through, keep the truly important things from being driven off the radar screen in the day-to-day hurly-burly of life at work where everything can seem urgent and important.", says Ram Charan, author of Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform From Those Who Don’t.

Think of priorities as the pathways to your major goals. Which if you have truly chosen goals that are important to you, their achievement would have a significant effect on your business and your life. Haphazard planning of priorities is a result of following established habits in response to circumstances. Habits are actions taken without conscious decision. Your goals are too important to leave to chance.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you set priorities:

• A crystallized program of goals provides a sound basis for setting meaningful priorities.
• Get in touch with where you are spending your time; check to see if you are working in high priority, high payoff activities.
• Daily identify specific periods of time for activities that produce high payoff, everything else gets worked in around them.
• Set deadlines. They exercise a subtle effect on your attitude.
• If your priorities seem overwhelming, procrastination can set in, break each project or situation into smaller steps.
• Learn to delegate, and get agreement from everyone you need support from, as to what the priorities are.
• Take one half hour per week to plan and regroup, it can be the best priority activity you can give yourself.

Managing the Business You Have, a new Simple Steps Guide that easily lets you take the pulse of where you are in your business and quickly develop a plan of where you need to go. Your review will help identify areas that need strengthening and guide your growth as a business owner, leader and manager.