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Hello! Who's ready for a break from calendaring?!

I mean I could go on and on (as you've experienced)

but there's more to intentional living than just calendar strategy.

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Prioritization has been a major focus for me over the past couple of months,

as my career ramps back up following 18 months on the side burner.

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It’s much easier

to be at all the kid stuff,

get in 50 miles on my bike

stay present in my friendships &

cook dinner multiple times a week,

when work is intentionally on pause!

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But that hiatus ended as 2024 began.

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Now I’m trying to protect those priorities

while building out a full coaching roster,

working on various writing projects,

onboarding new consulting clients,

committing to pro bono work

and doing the networking

that supports it all.

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My priorities haven’t changed but

the opportunity costs have.

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So how do I decide what to commit to

while honoring time for

my family, my boys

my bike & myself?

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You’re about to find out.

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But first, full disclosure: I screw this up all the time.

Last week I attempted a full work schedule

while my son was home sick with strep.

Not my proudest, most prioritized

(or most productive) moment!

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But that’s not a failure of the model,

it was a failure of implementation.

I looked at the calendar and

decided I could do both.

Had I instead deferred to

these Priority Checkpoints,

I wouldn’t have made it past the 2nd

without clearing my schedule for the day.

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TL;DR: I’m a work in progress

but this framework is solid.

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Let’s get into it.

In a culture where the expectation is that

you’re going to do all the things at all times,

Prioritization is a form of self-preservation.

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It’s a way to

establish Agency.

Not to default to a list,

but to decide for yourself

what should even be on the list.

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Warren Buffet had a rule that

you should write down your 25 top priorities,

and then cross out 20 of them because those are the

biggest distractions to the 5 you should really be focused on.

Only when one of the top 5 is completed, should you pull up one of the 20.

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I won’t defend the numbers, but I will defend the principle.

The question is how do we decide what makes the cut?

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We need Priority Checkpoints

to narrow down the list and

make sure we focus on

the things that:

ladder to our values

unlock the greatest impact &

minimize the opportunity costs.

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For day-to-day decisions it might be easy and obvious,

you might not need to use the Checkpoints,

certainly not for everything.

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But the challenge becomes bigger when the commitment is bigger.

Now you’re not just deciding about how to spend a couple of hours in the afternoon.

You're considering a major commitment that would require your time & energy over a longer period.

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So how do you decide what to take on

when there are multiple things

that feel really important…

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Especially if you’re choosing between

the “baby” that is your business and

your actual human baby(s)??!

Priority Checkpoints

Don’t spend your time

fighting little fires everywhere

or drowning in opportunity costs.

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Use these Priority Checkpoints

to determine if a commitment

makes the cut:

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Checkpoint One: Gut Instinct & Intuition

Checkpoint Two: Vision & Values

Checkpoint Three: Capacity & Resources

Checkpoint Four: Impact & ROI

Checkpoint Five: Urgency & Importance

Checkpoint Six: Long Lead Time

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Sequence matters.

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Think of each checkpoint as a security gate.

If a potential activity or initiative meets the criteria for a checkpoint,

the light turns green, the gate opens, and you advance to the next one.

If the criteria aren’t met, the gate stays closed.

That project doesn’t make the shortlist.

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Nothing gets your time that

doesn’t get through all the gates.

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Today, we'll activate the first two Checkpoints:

• Checkpoint One: Gut Instinct & Intuition
• Checkpoint Two: Vision & Values

Checkpoint One: Gut Instinct and Intuition

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Ask yourself:

Is your body trying to tell you something?

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Why it matters:

Two reasons.

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1. We can ignore our bodies and push through signals in the short-term,

but, to borrow the line, “the body keeps the score” and

Future You WILL pay the price.

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2. Gut instinct and intuition

often provide insights that

logic alone cannot.

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Start with your body,

then engage your brain.

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What to do: Self Check-In

Pause to check in with yourself.

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Breathe in to create space to tune in.

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Butterflies in your stomach

Tightness in your chest

Heart rate fluctuations

Shallow breathing

Sweaty hands

Goosebumps?

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If your body is a hard no, listen.

It might not be a “never”, but it is a “not now”.

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If your body is signalling apprehension

more than repulsion, continue to investigate.

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Utilize the next five Checkpoints

to explore your gut instincts with

rational analysis & logical reasoning.

Checkpoint Two: Alignment with Vision and Values

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Ask yourself:

Does the project/activity align with your long-term vision & personal values?

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Why it matters:

This ensures your actions are guided by purpose not just external pressures or immediate demands.

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What to do: Vision Check & Values Alignment

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Vision Check:

If you already have defined long-term goals then it’s a matter of confirming:

Does this activity ladder directly to my goals?

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If your goals are not spelled out, simply ask yourself:

Does this activity contribute to something that is important to me?

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Values Alignment (for more complex or bigger commitments):

1. Develop a checklist of your core values to use as a filter.
2. Divide the list into “must haves” and “nice to haves”.
3. Evaluate the commitment against this checklist.

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If any "must haves" are missing, it’s a no.

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If all your "must haves" are checked,

use your "nice to haves" for further filtering.

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I was recently invited to sit on two non-profit boards.

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One I said yes to immediately.

The ask wasn’t even complete before I enthusiastically affirmed.

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The other one was a tougher choice, and I ultimately declined.

I used a Values Checklist to make the decision

and it came down to my “nice to haves”.

I’m a busy person. Details matter.

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Email me if you want to see my checklist

as an example for building one of your own.

These first two Checkpoints ensure that you spend your time and energy

on things that feel right and good, and that honor your personal vision & values.

These Checkpoints are essential, but they're not sufficient to narrow down all the way to your shortlist.

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Next week, we'll dive into the other four Checkpoints and I'll give you a Priority Checkpoint Tracker

to organize the initiatives that don't make the shortlist the first time through.

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That way you won't have to start from scratch when

you're ready to green light your next commitment.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you!

Spark a conversation by replying to this email.

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How do you decide what to prioritize? Do you have a checklist of your own?

And what are your biggest pain points when it comes to prioritization?

I'd love to help you tackle them in a future issue.

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to a friend that might need help prioritizing too.

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Have a wonderful week!

Nicole

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