One of the biggest lessons I learned in my adulthood is everything is a tradeoff.

No matter what decision you make or what path you go on, it's not always completely perfect.

Something has got to give.

The same thing can be said about what we choose to prioritize.

The reality is is that we can't prioritize everything. There's always going to be something that is taking a back seat as we focus on something else.

In the spirit of being more intentional, one of the things that I want to start doing is having more consistent check-ins with myself answering these three questions:

Question #1: What are the areas that you want to grow?

These are the areas that I'm investing my time (and maybe money) it to getting better and improving. These areas will be top of mind and will likely require some routine or system around it in order to maintain focused.

Question #2: What are the areas that I am flowing?
Acknowledging what is going smoothly is important. This is where I plan on making sure that the things that are working and giving myself a pat on the back for getting into this state. My goal is to get as many things that I want to be doing into this state.

Question #3: What are the areas that I'm slowing down?
Like I said earlier, everything is a tradeoff. If there are areas that I've deemed as a priority for me to grow, there has to be something that I'm slowing down. Slowing down doesn't mean that it will be gone forever, but it will require some reevaluation if/when it were to come back.

Following this approach is something I'm going to be exploring and playing around with in the new year. My hope is that I can achieve more balance in my life and also be more intentional.