There is more to do in this world than there is time to do it. As a consequence, you will have to neglect some things. But what?
There are many strategies for setting priorities. For instance, there is a plane with urgency on one set of axis, and importance on the other. You sort tasks appropriately, and go from there.
However, one way of looking at the events in your life is from a negative point of view. That is, instead of thinking of what things you want to include and what you want to do, instead think about what you are willing to neglect in favor of other things.
Listen to a podcast where Michael and Lee discuss a related question: ‘Are we too busy?’ We also discuss a bonus question: ‘What are our responsibilities to others?’
After all, there is not enough time in the day to do everything. No matter how efficient you are, no matter how little sleep you need, you won’t get to everything. You can, however, choose which things get skipped.
An advantage to viewing life this way is that unimportant yet enjoyable things don’t get skipped. There may be activities or tasks that might not make your top ten list of things to do, but your life would be poorer without them. Conversely, something might seem more pressing and yet you can make do without it.
Are there things in your life that you simply don’t want to do without, even if they might not seem to someone else to be “must do” activities? Are there things that you know you can neglect?
Related questions: How do you set priorities? What is important? Are we too busy? What is one thing you feel the need to do each day?