Life is busy, and we’re all trying to juggle work, family, finances, etc. We hear a lot about setting goals, being productive, and prioritizing work. It can get really complicated. So yesterday I felt compelled to break it down and simplify the whole process. So here are two questions.

What is the one thing that you will stop doing this week?

Maybe it’s something that is destructive? Perhaps it’s not that dramatic, but it’s something that isn’t that important in the big picture. Knowing what’s truly important and what is a distraction is key to your success. Maybe it’s something you’ve been doing for a long time but don’t even know why and how it adds value. Maybe it’s something that you can delegate to someone else on your team. Whatever the scenario, find one thing that you will stop doing this week.

What is the one thing you will focus your attention and energy on?

With so many priorities that fill up our lives, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Interestingly enough, the word “priority” first came into our English language back in the 1400s and was only singular. Those was no plural form. It wasn’t pluralized until the 1900s. The idea here is that if you have multiple priorities, you have none. My wife came home from an educational conference several years ago with this quote that we often say: “If everything is important, nothing is important.” So what is the one thing that you need to focus your attention and energy on while letting those other things fall below the priority line?