More Answers... (12/21-- oh wait, no: 12/22/25 Newsletter): The Value of Re-Prioritizing Priorities

Hi Everyone, 

Here's your Sunda--- er, nope! Monday Morning"More Answers..." to help you head into the work week-- remember, you can see previous newsletters at askchrista.com/MoreAnswers.

Today's topic? The value of re-prioritizing your priorities.

This time of year especially, priorities might shift a lot. Colleagues may decide to take last-minute vacation days, a client may decide to work longer through the holidays than expected. Family and friends may need to adjust schedules. 

And what mattered the most on Monday may not be what deserves your time and attention on on Thursday... or Sunday (because, a-hem, I did this very thing over the weekend, hence your More Answers... newsletter this morning vs last night...)

Rebalancing is not a failure of discipline. In fact, if we think of it that way, we prohibit feeling any ease in being flexible, even when the flexibility is what's best for us and those around us. 

Rebalancing Priorities = Perspective

I remember hearing Jon Stewart once say, "When you amplify everything, you hear nothing." 

I feel this way about priorities: when everything feels important, nothing gets appropriate attention. Research on self-regulation shows that people do better, emotionally and cognitively, when they periodically reassess goals and adjust effort based on changing conditions (Carver & Scheier, 1998; Wrosch et al., 2003).

Rebalancing priorities helps you step back and ask:
• What actually matters today?
• What can wait?
• What no longer deserves the same time, attention, drive?

Yes, some priorities are more important than others. Allowing yourself to acknowledge that brings perspective and reduces unnecessary stress on you and on others.

This is especially helpful during busy seasons when trying to do everything equally well leads to exhaustion instead of progress.

Flexible Thinking Requires Self-Forgiveness

In my line of work, flexibility is a key attribute of success: as you learn what is going wrong in an organization, you start shifting... then you shift more and more until you are setting a pace and inertia for transformation. And with each learning, priorities are re-assessed. It's not to create chaos-- quite the opposite. It's to be sure resources are utilized as effectively and efficiently as possible.

And the shifting of priorities aren't about changing goals: most times it's about changing HOW you meet or exceed those goals, so this isn't about walking on quicksand. It's about finding the best path to walk on as you learn about the ground you're walking on.

The biggest prohibitor I see? People take priorities so seriously that they believe they've failed if they need to rebalance them. Then they have a hard time forgiving themselves for having to put a previous Priority 1 down to a Priority 4.

Important: research on goal adjustment shows that letting go of lower-priority goals when circumstances shift is associated with better well-being and lower stress, not less ambition (Wrosch et al., 2003).

Reprioritizing isn't about quitting, though. It's about resetting where your energy and attention goes.

Flexible thinking allows you to respond to real life as it happens versus forcing yourself to operate on an outdated plan-- especially when that plan no longer serves in your or your goals' best interest(s). 

BOOSTER FOR YOUR WEEK!!!

I've got another good read for you this week. 

The booster I selected is "How to Master Prioritization at Work When Everything Feels Urgent," written by Dr. Dianne Hamilton and published in Forbes last May.

The article focuses on work, but I urge you to apply it to all aspects of your life, especially if you have A LOT of priorities.

One of my favorite lines in the article is near the beginning:

People often assume prioritization is simply about discipline or time-blocking. But at its core, prioritization is a decision-making skill. It requires judgment, perspective, and a clear understanding of what matters most, not just for the task at hand, but for the bigger picture.

(para. 2)

Maybe if more people thought of prioritization and re-prioritization as part of decision-making skills vs commitment or follow-through, we'd have more people willing to reset and rebalance when it's appropriate.

(maybe you can start doing that, too?)

And remember, if you have a business challenge or a workplace issue, Ask Christa!

REFERENCES

Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). On the self-regulation of behavior. Cambridge University Press.

Wrosch, C., Scheier, M. F., Miller, G. E., Schulz, R., & Carver, C. S. (2003). Adaptive self-regulation of unattainable goals: Goal disengagement, goal reengagement, and subjective well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(12), 1494–1508.

(remember that most public libraries can help you access academic papers if they are not listed for public access!!)