There is no such thing as "priorities"

Recently I learned a startling fact: the word "priorities" didn't exist until the Industrial Revolution. There was no plural form of the word because how could you have more than one "priority?" By definition we could only have one. And yet, the society growing around Capitalism had to maximize efficiency and had to convince its workforce to fall in line.

Eye-level view of a lake and light house

Nowadays, we all have multiple priorities for nearly everything we do! Worse yet, we have "competing priorities!" I can't tell you how many times I'm in a coaching session with someone and they will tell me they "wear multiple hats" or "multi-tasking is just a part of the job." And I have my work cut out for me to convince them otherwise.

But the reality is, human beings aren't particularly good at multi-tasking. And we have a very difficult time wearing too many hats at once. In fact, job conflict is an identified contributor to burn-out in the research. Moreover, neuroscience tells us that "context switching" - meaning going from one thing to another to another - actually delays our ability to focus on the new tasks. The more we are switching back and forth, the more the brain struggles to keep up.

So next time you are feeling flustered by going from one thing to another, ask yourself: "What is my priority here?" and do that one thing. Then ask that question again. And again.

Getting back to focus, reducing the chaotic reactivity of multi-tasking, realizing that there is only one priority for the moment ... all can help us design work lives that are a little less stressful.