On Individual Sustainability: Getting Your Priorities Straight
Last week I started writing about the idea of Individual Sustainability and how it’s something I wish for every person.
I described it as... our ability to sustain our life and needs at a steady pace for the unique marathon we’re each running. It’s made up of the ingredients, practices, and mindsets that we each determine will help us live the life we want.
The United Nations’ definition of sustainability is… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The UN is referencing the world at large, but it applies all the same to a world of one. Doing what you need in the present to meet your short term goals while keeping your long term goals in mind.
Think of the times when life felt solid, things were lining up, you had what you needed, and you were energized to take on the world. The sense of possibility, opportunity, hope, and excitement for the future.
These moments fuel Individual Sustainability.
Now think about the times when something wasn’t right. Unhappiness at home. Frustration at work. Pain in your body or mind. Restlessness about life overall. We don’t have a lot to give to other things and other people demanding our attention because we barely have enough for ourselves.
These moments stunt Individual Sustainability.
It’s the work of making sure our current lives are dialed so we can build towards the lives we each want, in however way we each want it.
One part is knowing what kind of life you want. The other is dialing the immediate future. For today, we’ll focus on the latter.
To start, we all have foundational things we need like money to pay our bills. A job to make that money. A place to live and call home. People who care about us.
But beyond needs there are also things we want like meaningful work that gives us a sense of accomplishment and pride. Time for our hobbies and passion projects. Activities that entertain and make us happy. To have fun.
And sometimes it’s hard to make sense of all the things we need and want to figure out what to prioritize. And sometimes they can compete or be contradictory. So, how do we reconcile all of it.
You break it down and make some choices.
Because as my wise friend told me when we were kids… you can have it all, but you can't have it all at once. (Supposedly Oprah also said this, but he definitely said it first.)
Here’s how I do it...
I use my prioritization framework called the 7Ps. P for Priorities and they’re all P words to save my memory.
In no particular order the 7Ps are:
PEOPLE: The human interaction stuff. Family. Friends. Love. Partners. Kids. And yes… Pets.
PLACE: Your Environment. Where you live. Surroundings. City vs. Country. Community.
PROFESSION: All things work-related. Job. Career. Your Business. The company you work for. Coworkers. Culture.
PROSPERITY: Money & Possessions. Income. Savings. Car. Insurance. Investments.
PASSION: Things That Excite You. Interests. Hobbies. Activities.
PERSONAL: Your individual wellness. Physical/Emotional/Mental Health. Mindset. Behaviors.
PLAY: Just Because It’s Fun. Things that make you laugh. Bring you joy. Make you feel like a little kid again.
I take stock of what matters to me right now in each of these categories (you can have multiple things per category). Then I pick the most important thing in each category and I rank them from 1 to 7.
(This is an adaptable framework to organize our thoughts and we can adjust as needed. e.g if two things in one category are SUPER important to you, then include both and prioritize from there.)
These priorities aren’t set in stone and I don’t follow this rubric every time I make a decision. But it does create accountability to the things I’ve deemed important and it helps me filter micro (e.g. how I spend a Saturday night) and macro choices (e.g. do I quit my job to start a business) to ensure I’m aligning my decisions to my priorities.
It mainly helps me organize my thoughts about what I say matters so I can strategically choose where to spend my time, energy, and money in the short term.
Because ultimately, setting priorities doesn’t mean anything if they’re not lived. And priorities in action require proper resource allocation.
Otherwise, we’re just living the Talking Heads song, Once In A Lifetime. Ending up somewhere we didn’t plan to be because we didn’t actually plan to be anywhere at all.
🙏🙏,
Pam
PS - As a thank you for reading my emails, here’s the 7Ps Worksheet if you want to use it for yourself. I do this exercise quarterly, at minimum. But really, anytime I feel like I need clarity on what matters to me right now and how I need to adjust my investments. If you try it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
