- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Your Spring guide to focus, priorities, and protecting your time.
How to Identify What Truly Matters in Your Life
What are your top three priorities in life? Write them down. Now think about how you actually spent the last 24 hours – not how you intended to, but how you really did.
When I tracked my own schedule, I found I was spending 50–75% of my waking hours on work. Almost nothing was left for what I claimed mattered most. As meditation teacher Light Watkins puts it: "Our priorities aren't measured by what we say they are. They are measured by what we spent the last 24 hours doing."
So, how do you clarify and prioritize what matters most so your time is better aligned with your priorities?
The Glass, Plastic, and Ghost Framework Explained
There are several versions of this framework, but here’s a summary from one offered by educator Joe Mullikin for deciding what deserves your energy. Think of everything you're juggling as one of three things:
Glass cups break when dropped – missing a child's milestone, neglecting your health. These are your non-negotiables. And yes, investing in yourself is a glass cup too. You can't pour from an empty one.
Plastic balls bounce. They make noise when they drop, but they don't shatter. Skipping a meeting, pushing a deadline – the consequence is usually far smaller than the anxiety or worry you built around it.
Ghosts feel urgent but they aren't real – the perfect lesson plan, the email answered at 10pm, the slide deck revised one more time. Drop a ghost and nothing happens. No noise, no consequence. Only you saw it. Perfection is almost always a ghost, and chasing it is what causes us to drop the glass.
How to Prioritize What Matters and Protect Your Time
Every commitment you accept is a trade. Say yes to one more committee and you've said no to your evening walk. Say yes to redoing that slide deck and you've said no to dinner with your family.
When you feel the pull to over-do something, ask: What am I actually saying no to right now? Is it worth it? Boundaries aren't walls – they're the decisions you make in advance to protect what’s glass.
Instead of trying to juggle it all, choose what matters (to you)! Cultivate awareness of how you’re spending your time, decide what deserves your energy, and say “yes” with clarity and intention. Choose what matters: focus, clarity, and priorities!
