May 18, 2025- The rest can wait

“First I make a list of priorities: one, two, three, and so on. Then I cross out everything from three on down.”

~Roy Baumeister

If we have a lengthy list of priorities, are they truly priorities? The entire concept of priorities is to be exclusive, rather than inclusive, with our time and energy.

When my kids were younger, from time to time, I would get sweet little Father’s Day gifts. They would inevitably come from school. I’d appreciate the handmade crafts the most. Less appreciated would be the poorly made items purchased from the school with the title “Best Dad Ever.“ Words are important to me, and if they made more than one tape measure with that inscription, all but one has to end up in the wrong hands. Every additional tape measure should say, “Excellent dad. Not the very best, but still supporting the survival of at least one child.” But I guess that is a lot to fit on the face of a tape measure.

The point is, when we use words like “best,” “unique,” and “priority“ we should mean them. And if we mean them, we should treat them accordingly. When we say something is a priority, we should devote an appropriate amount of time and energy to it. And when we list too many priorities, we can’t possibly be devotional to them all.

Shorten your to-do list. Narrow your focus. Prioritize your priorities. Let the big things be the big things. The rest can wait.