Before you can decide what to prioritize, you need to know what it is you are going to be prioritizing. You have goals and dreams for your life. Do you know what they are? Do you know what you want out of life?
You only have one life. It is yours and only yours. It does not matter what other people do with their lives or what they want you to do with yours -you and you alone get to decide what you want to do with YOUR life. Other people do not get to have a say, much less make the decision for you.
So, what do you want from your life? Do you know? If so, you are one of the lucky ones, and you can immediately skip prioritizing the things you want and making decisions. The same applies if you are in the thick of things and need help deciding where to focus your attention first.
But what looks like trouble deciding where to focus for many people really covers the fact that your life is not going where you want it to go. If that is you and you do not know what direction you want to take, do not worry; you are in the majority. Many people have a hard time deciding what they want from their lives.
For those in the latter position, it is time to dream. Close your eyes and picture your ideal life. What is it like? What do you do every day? How do you make a living (or do you)? Who do you spend time with? Where do you live? How do you live?
The answers to these questions will provide you with a starting point. Do not write anything down yet; you can return to do so later if you like.
When you finish picturing your ideal life, go to a second visualization exercise. Let us now suppose that it is the end of your life. You are old and have not got much time left. What are the things that you most want to have done in life? Where do you want to visit? Whom do you want to have spent your life with? The answers brought up by both exercises will tell you whether what you have is truly a focusing problem or a direction problem. Regardless, the rest of the series will help you move forward.