School – Work – Personal Life?

MANAGING CONFLICTING PRIORITIES:Making Decisions About

What Is Important And What Is Not

Kathleen E. High, M.Ed.

Adjunct Counselor

Career Planning Center

Cypress College

Why this workshop?• Personal Experience:

• 18 years as a community college student (pursuing a 2-year degree)• Finished 120 units in two years at the university• Spent the next two years obtaining my master’s degree

• What was the difference? Learned how to identify priorities

• Professional Experience:• Teach a variety of “college success skills” classes

• Discovered I was pretty typical• Most students struggle with the same issues I did

Conclusion: Most students have difficulty knowing how to prioritize

• Studying & Learning • Career & Life

Planning • Career Exploration

• Academic & Life Success• Educational Planning • Freshman Seminar

How Do You Determine Priorities?• YOU NEED TO DECIDE WHERE YOUR PRIORITIES

ARE• There is no magic answer….• But, there are a few things to consider:

• Who are you?• Different Types of Needs• “Needs vs. “Wants”• Values• Dreams• Goals• The “Rules”

• Tools for Determining Your Priorities

Who Are You?• Ask: Who Am I?

• Personality• Interests• Culture• Values• Dreams/Goals• Responsibilities• Boundaries• Your “Season of Life”

• Follow Up Activities:• Workshop: “Career Assessments”• Visit Career Planning Center• Classes:

• COUN 141: Career Exploration• COUN 150: Academic & Life Success

• Handouts:• Culture, Education & Unspoken Expectations• Boundaries• Generational Values

“Needs” vs. “Wants”• Sometimes the challenge is in not recognizing the

difference• Ask: What Are My “Needs”?

• Ask: What Are My “Wants”?

• Follow Up Activities:• Workshop: “Career Assessments”• Visit Career Planning Center• Handouts:

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Culture, Education & Unspoken Expectations

Different Types of Needs (Maslow)

“Needs vs. Wants”

Values• Ask: What is important to you?

• Family• Work• Education• Career• Moral Integrity• Independence• Spiritual Life• Etc.

• Follow Up Activities:Visit Career Planning Center

Handouts:• Success• Values Survey• Culture, Education & Unspoken Expectations

DreamsAsk: What do you want for your life?

• Education• Career• Family• Financial

Others:IndependenceTravelOwn your own business Retirement

Follow Up Activities:Workshops : Goal Setting & Decision MakingVisit Career Planning CenterClasses: COUN 145: Changing Careers

COUN 141 : Career ExplorationCOUN 150: Academic & Life SuccessCOUN 151: Career and Life Planning

Handouts: TimeLineDream Chaser’s & Goal Setter’s JourneySuccess

GoalsAsk: Have You Set Goals to Achieve Your Dreams?• What Do You Need to Do To Achieve Them?

(i.e. How will you get there?)• What Are Your Short-Term Goals?• What Are Your Mid-Range Goals?• What Are Your Long-Term Goals?

Follow Up Activities:Workshops : Goal Setting & Decision MakingVisit Career Planning CenterClasses: COUN 140: Education Planning

COUN 150: Academic & Life SuccessCOUN 151: Career and Life Planning

Handouts: TimeLineDream Chaser’s & Goal Setter’s JourneyReaching Career GoalsSetting Effective Goals

The “Rules”• What are the “rules” (official policy, actual law, informal)• Are the “rules” legitimate? (Official vs. Unofficial)• Are the rules current and still in effect, or have they

changed?• Who established the rule? (Is their authority legitimate?)• If differing authorities create conflicting rules, which

authority takes rank? (i.e. importance, power, etc.)• If rules conflict with each other, which rule takes rank?• Will there be consequences if you disobey the rule?• If a conflict in consequences, which consequences would

be greater?

Time to Identify Your Priorities• What is Your Season of Life?• What is Important? / What is Urgent?• Rank Your Priorities

• Rank Your Sacrifice Items• What Can Wait?

• Are Your Goals and Priorities Taking You in the Same Direction?

What is your current season of life?• Dependency• Independence/Self-

Sufficiency• Care for Self• Care for Family• Learn• Work• Rest

• Play • Sacrifice• Survival• Breaking• Solitude/Isolation• Introspection• Restoration• New Beginnings

What Is Important / What is Urgent• Ask: What is Urgent?

• Will happen if I ignore this?• Major Negative Consequences!

• Ask: What is Not Urgent?• Will happen if I ignore this?

• Answer: Nothing Serious!

• Ask: What is Important?• What did you identify before?

• Ask: What is Not Important?• Anything that interferes with

“Important”

Follow Up Activities:Workshop: Time Management Tips & TricksVisit Career Planning CenterHandouts: Discerning Seasons

Covey’s QuadrantsPriority Clarification ExercisePriority/Goal AlignmentManaging Financial ResponsibilitiesDifficult Choices

Rank Your Priorities

What is so important that you don’t want to loose it?• What is Priority Number 1• What is Priority Number 2• What is Priority Number 3• What is Priority Number 4• What is Priority Number 5

Note:

Notice there is no such thing as two Priority #1’s

There is only ONE #1, and then you have ONE #2

Rank Your Sacrifice Items

What is not important, and that you are willing to give up to maintain your priorities?• What is Sacrifice Item Number 1• What is Sacrifice Item Number 2• What is Sacrifice Item Number 3• What is Sacrifice Item Number 4• What is Sacrifice Item Number 5

Note: Thess items must be different from your list of priorities – This is what you would be willing to give up to keep your priorities

What Can Wait?

“What can wait without incurring major consequences?”• One Hour• One Day• One Week• One Month• One Year• Until Payday• The end of the semester• A more convenient time

Priorities & Goals – Going the Same?• What Are Your Goals?• What Are Your Priorities?

• Are They in Alignment? (Going the Same Direction)• If not, you will NOT achieve your goals

• If Not in Alignment, What Do You Do?• Change Your Goals - or - • Change Your Priorities

Wrap Up• Reminder: Who should determine your priorities?• What do you need to consider?

• Who are you?• “Needs vs. “Wants”• Values• Goals• Tools for Clarifying Your Priorities

• Ask yourself?• Based on what you learned today, ask yourself:

• Do you have a general sense of where your priorities should be?• How are you going to “prioritize learning how to prioritize”?• What next steps should you take based on what you learned?