Intro
You’ve completed Week 1, great work!
You spent time observing how you manage your days, where time slips away, and how it all feels. That awareness was your foundation. Now we move into Week 2 by translating that awareness into focused action using specific time management skills.
Today is about "prioritization".
Part 1: Why we begin with purpose
Prioritization helps you identify and focus on the most important tasks that create real progress. But effective prioritization starts by aligning your time with a purpose that actually matters to you.
Most time management advice jumps straight into tactical tools. We’re doing something different – we’re starting at a deeper level. Why?
Because when your daily actions are connected to something meaningful, it’s easier to stay focused, make tough decisions, and avoid burnout. Without that connection, it’s easy to drift into low-impact work and feel like your time isn’t your own.
Reconnecting with a bigger picture helps you filter distractions and make decisions that move you forward – not just keep you busy.
Part 2: Reconnect with the bigger picture
In a professional setting, your organization’s mission is often a helpful anchor. Great organizations succeed when there’s a clear connection between why the company exists, the impact it wants to create, and the individual contributions that bring that vision to life.
Let’s start by zooming out.
HD Premier mission:
To transform ordinary events into exhilarating experiences. Offering VIP access to our island home and to its places and people. Delivering customized events for thriving organizations.
Action: journal prompts, one
Reflect on what this mission means to you and where you see your company either delivering or falling short of that vision.
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Day 8, reflection prompts - reconnecting the bigger picture
1. What part of the company’s mission do you feel most connected to?
(Explore which part of the larger mission feels meaningful or energizing to you.)
2. Where do you think the company is delivering on this mission well?
3. Where could it improve?
These observations will help you feel grounded in the shared purpose and see where your efforts can have the biggest impact.
Action: journal prompts, two
Now let’s bring it back to you.
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Day 8, reflection prompts - reconnecting the bigger picture
1. What is the purpose or value you bring to your role?
(Clarify how your strengths or contributions support the bigger picture.)
2. How do you personally support the company’s mission in your day-to-day work?
(This helps you connect abstract goals to real activities.)
Part 3: Prioritize what moves the needle
Now that you’ve reconnected to a larger purpose, it’s time to shift your focus toward execution.
Action: journal prompts, three
This is the moment to decide: what matters most today?
When you identify meaningful priorities, it becomes easier to ignore distractions, resist busywork, and commit your time to what truly counts.
Day 8, reflection prompts - reconnecting the bigger picture
1. What are 1–2 top priorities this week that align with the company’s mission or your role’s purpose? (Identify a couple of concrete priorities that feel meaningful and aligned.)
2. Choose one priority whose outcome will create visible, measurable progress. What is it? (Name a specific focus that drives real impact. Think needle-movers.)
3. Why is this priority important right now? (Understand the urgency or value behind this focus to strengthen your commitment.)
For today:
Stick to your 1–2 priorities. Avoid filling your time with less important tasks.
At the end of the day, reflect on how much progress you made and what supported or interrupted that focus.
Journal your thoughts in the Readiness app.
Dive deeper
Eisenhauer Matrix
There are many angles on getting behind time prioritization. While we presented concepts that use time awareness, mission alignment, and personal empowerment, we also know that some people prefer a more templated approach. One of these methodologies is the Eisenhower Matrix – a practical and visual tool to help you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance.
(Img. spica.com)
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
Named after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (who was, apparently, excellent at managing his time), the matrix separates tasks into four quadrants based on two dimensions: urgency and importance. The idea is simple: not everything that feels urgent is important, and not everything important is urgent.
The four quadrants
Urgent and Important
Do these tasks immediately.
These are deadlines, crises, and tasks with serious consequences. Think of them as the “fires” you have to put out – but ideally, you want fewer of these.
Important but Not Urgent
Schedule these tasks.
This is the quadrant of growth. These tasks align with your long-term goals and values. Planning, relationship building, strategic work — they live here, but they often get ignored if you’re always reacting.
Urgent but Not Important
Delegate or set boundaries.
These are tasks that feel pressing but don’t actually contribute much to your bigger picture. Responding to every ping, low-impact requests, unnecessary meetings – all candidates for saying “not now.”
Not Urgent and Not Important
Limit or eliminate.
These are distractions and time-fillers – things you do out of habit or avoidance. They may be harmless, but over time, they erode focus and energy.
How to use it in practice (with Basecamp)
If you’re using Basecamp, the Eisenhower Matrix can be easily integrated into your planning process. It helps you stay focused, organized, and intentional with your time.
Set up a Card Table or ToDo List templates in Basecamp. Create four columns labeled: Urgent and Important, Important but Not Urgent, Urgent but Not Important, and Not Urgent and Not Important. This layout gives you a clear view of what needs attention and what can wait.
Use the “My Stuff” tab. Start by reviewing all your tasks, messages, and assignments in Basecamp. Use this as a space to gather everything in one place. Don’t rely on memory. Get it all out where you can see it.
Sort your tasks into the matrix. As you place each item in its quadrant, ask yourself whether it’s truly urgent or simply loud. Clarify what supports your goals versus what pulls your attention away.
Prioritize Quadrant 2. These are the important but not urgent tasks. Investing time here builds long-term momentum, prevents crises, and supports meaningful progress.
Check in with the matrix daily. Use it at the start and end of your day to see how your actions are aligning with your goals. This is not just a task list. It’s a reflection tool for how you spend your time.
Be creative and make it your own. Find out what works for you. Templates are here to inspire you, not to box you in.
Start with why
Sometimes productivity struggles have nothing to do with tools or time. They come from a deeper disconnect. When we lose clarity on why we do our work, it becomes harder to focus, make decisions, or feel like we’re making meaningful progress. That’s where Simon Sinek’s Start With Why framework offers a helpful reset.
What ss “Start with why”?
In his best-selling book and TED Talk, Simon Sinek explains that the most effective leaders and organizations think, act, and communicate from the inside out. They begin with purpose – their “why” – before explaining how they do things or what they actually deliver.
Most people and companies work in reverse. They focus on what they do and how they do it, but never stop to reconnect with why they do it. Sinek calls this inward approach the Golden Circle: Why → How → What.
Why this matters for productivity
When your daily tasks feel disconnected from any larger purpose, even simple work can feel heavy. You lose motivation. Time feels tight. Energy drains quickly.
But when you lead with why, your priorities start to shift. You get better at filtering distractions and saying yes to work that matters. That clarity increases focus and reduces the mental load of decision-making throughout the day. It helps you produce better work and feel less pressure doing it.
Try it for yourself
Open your journal in the Readiness app and reflect on these three questions:
Why: What’s the impact you want to make through your work? What motivates you beyond the to-do list?
How: What strengths or values do you bring to your role that help deliver this impact?
What: Are your current projects or daily tasks aligned with this purpose? What needs adjusting?
You can also use this framework as a daily checkpoint. If a task feels draining or unclear, ask yourself if it connects back to your why. If it doesn’t, can it be delegated, reshaped, or even removed?
Communicate with everyone at The People Readiness Company using the chat function inside the Readiness app.