The importance of prioritization
When a resource is available in large quantities, we can develop the tendency to look at it with contempt or indifference. Because of this abundance, we can develop a certain profligacy that leads us to lack discernment between what is important and what is not. There are many resources that we can enjoy: time, money, energy, concentration, etc. This text focuses on time, but the logic of the ideas developed applies to these other resources.
The problem with abundance is the consequent prodigality that it generates. To alleviate this difficulty, it is advisable to make this resource artificially scarce, so as to re-establish a form of measurement in one’s life. If you have an abundance of time, then you will have to create a schedule with activities related to a particular objective in your life. This schedule needs to be organized around routines that can be performed almost automatically and that take priority over all kinds of demands. When you do this, you become the priority of your life again and outside distractions will not distract you from your momentum. As your days fill up, you suddenly become aware of the preciousness of time and even the energy and focus it entails.
Once you can establish a foundation of routine tasks that you will not compromise on, you will be able to spend your time more wisely. When you have a limited amount of something, you become more careful about sharing it, and when you share, you do so with greater awareness.
