They swim. They fly. Might walking be a priority? How does one set priorities? Well, if that is the question on your mind, here’s what I have found after studying scores of business gurus and spiritual masters. To set your priorities, you must follow a 5-level formula.
The 5 Levels of Priorities
All successful achievers who take responsibility for the welfare of large communities, organizations, and even fans, keep to the same sequence of what is important, even sacrosanct, in their lives. A good way to remember the order of priorities is the first letters of the phrase Do Flying Fish Have Walking Shoes? That’s D-FF-H-W-S.
In living life based on DFFHWS, time is of no concern. And decisions are never a problem. Because once this order of priorities is set in stone, every time you have to make a decision, you revisit the priority level – and the decision arises in an instant. The only one-time investment is to park your life into the 5 levels.
The first level, identified by D, is one’s connection with Divinity, or Divine Energy. Give it any name… Prayer, Qigong, God, Holy Book, Music, or whatever… to connect the spirit with D is essential to get real productivity. D-level activities are energizing, purpose-defining, and relaxing. And they need not take you more than 5 minutes a day… but they must be on the top of your todo list.
FF refers to Friends & Family; your inner circle as defined by yourself. Who is in this? All the people you would consider most important to you. The ones who would willingly attend your funeral. For them to feel that way about you, you must give first. You must prioritize their needs – and the time to spend with them – over the HWS stuff that follows.
All the activities that make your Heart Happy come under H. Basically these are the things you are passionate about… things you would like to do when nothing else mattered. Future projects. Hobbies. Social causes. And stuff like that. Even if you take out just 20 minutes from a 24-hour day to invest in the H-level, you will stay energized to perform better at the ‘necessary’ W-level. If not, life will increasingly become a drag.
The W-level is Work. Everything that brings in bread and butter. By its nature, this could take up many hours, but when prioritized where it is, those hours will be productive and satisfying. You might often be complimented for ‘thinking outside the box’ and ‘becoming a breath of fresh air’ by peers. You would lead better, think clearer, and be an inspiration.
Finally, your Social activities are flagged by S. True, man is a social animal and therefore this ought to be high up. But after delineating the FF, H, and W interaction-groups, we already have our key social engagement partners. What remain are distractions and while necessary for entertainment, they do little to drive our lives purposefully. Both online and at parties etc.
Now, the next step, is to write down who and what features at each level. If you would like examples, the following video will help. If you would like a personal discussion, hop across to https://SandeepNath.com/ama 😊 Talk soon!