“How do you spell important?”
“R-H-Y-S,” I joked with them.

Today, my grade 5-6’s took a deep-dive into the art of time management and prioritization.

Seven weeks ago, I asked them to write down the top four areas of their life that they hold most near and dear to their hearts.

I had them go back to that page and study the answer they gave at the time. I then asked them to reflect on whether or not anything had changed. In the span of seven weeks, all five of them said that something had changed.

So they flipped back to the present and wrote again. “What are my top four priorities in my life?”

This is a question I love to ask. In ‘How to identify where you want to go in life‘, I outlined how I believe you can only truly prioritize four areas of your life at a time. This is what I call my ‘Core Four Theory’.

You can exceed four, but that usually leads to trouble. Most of the time, major sacrifices start to be made. So I think it’s incredibly important to be specific and narrow it down to four relatively broad categories that you want to emphasize.

I think it’s important for everyone to know where their priorities lie. What they truly want to focus on above all else.

If we can do this, we will have a better sense for how to manage our time. We will become crystal clear on what matters most, and how to balance all four into our life at once, without making major sacrifices.

From this thought exercise, I had two key takeaways for my little legends.

One, priorities change. It’s okay for your priorities in life to evolve as you learn and grow. As evidenced by the group, even over a span of seven weeks, priorities change. That’s okay. Recognizing that allows you to recentre yourself and realign where you want to spend your time.

But more importantly, the one key priority that we often neglect is something we all hold near and dear to our life. People. Our friends. Our family. Our relationships. Our loved ones.

The grade 5-6’s had a few common answers across the board. But the most common? Friends and family. They all said friends and family.

Everyone I’ve ever asked this question to has said friends, family or social relationships in some form or another. For me, it’s my top priority too. My social relationships are the most important facet of my life. Above work. Teaching. Writing. Helping others. Even running.

I know this. But even I (especially I) still neglect people.

So often, we throw ourselves into our work and our passions. We don’t make enough time for the people that we love. Sometimes we’re great about prioritizing that one favourite person we have. Sometimes we’re not great at prioritizing the other ten people we absolutely could not live without. That’s what I want to do a better job focusing on. That’s what I want our grade 5-6’s to realize. People are so important. That’s where you need to spend your time.

Knowing that, now it’s just about who? Who in your life is worth the time? If relationships check the box as one of your top four priorities, figure out who you want to spend the most time with under that umbrella.

I helped our grade 5-6’s realize this in two key ways across the evening:

First, I had them narrow their list from four to two. Every single one of them, including myself, put friends and family at the top.

The second way was so much more fun and enlightening. I had each of them pick one thing from our program room that meant the world to them. I’ve taught them so well that two of them took down our HIGH FIVE posters. One that said ‘A Caring Leader’. The other said ‘Friends.’ The other items included a board we use for our program that they designed, and two more or less trivial items – a sheep and a board game.

I then had them decide one by one, which item needed to go. I bet you can already guess what happened.

Unsurprisingly, they first eliminated the sheep. Why? Because we can always get another sheep. Then they eliminated the board game. Why? Because it’s just a game. Then we narrowed it down to three. What’s more important – the literal program we’re doing right now, caring leaders, or friends? It took a bit of discussion, but ultimately, they came to a unanimous decision.

Friends.

They all said friends. Friends was the most important answer for all of them. It was that one thing that none of them wanted to lose. Even over the caring leaders in their lives.

This is so powerful. This is powerful for leaders creating programs, and it’s powerful for anyone going about their day to day life.

Having friends that care for us and make us feel special is that one thing that keeps us excited to come back day after day, year after year. It’s that one thing that allows us to truly feel happiness and a sense of purpose.

In the world of recreation, even if the leader is the greatest leader in the world and makes everyone feel welcome to the best of their ability, it won’t matter if the participant doesn’t feel like they belong. Building friendships into every program we design is therefore essential.

But in the grand scheme of our lives, it’s even more important. So often, paths change. We go our separate ways. We lose touch with our friends. We lose touch with the very people that care about us most. That wouldn’t want to live without us.

Why? Because other priorities get in the way.

This can’t be the case. Focus on who truly matters to you and what truly matters to you. Make that an active priority in your life. You will be happier. You will live a life that you want to live. You will prioritize what truly matters, and make the best of your time. Above all else, this needs to be a priority.

Thanks for reading and see you soon.

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