If You Want to Change the World, Go Home and Love Your Family. – Mother Teresa

I have a weird habit. After every day is done, I go back to my calendar and make sure it is an accurate accounting of what actually happened. I delete appointments and time blocks that didn’t happen, increase or decrease time to the appointments that lasted longer or shorter, add appointments that were not planned, etc.

I do this to better evaluate the effectiveness of my week and even more importantly, my discipline to follow through on my plans. It does no good to plan your best day and then allow it to be hijacked.

Most of us talk about priorities. We say we have them but our calendar often points to a different conclusion. Many leaders can articulate their chief aim – their big goal for the season or the year yet their calendar seems to suggest something different.

I get it. Life at work and home is filled with interruptions, foreign agendas waging an attack on your own. Email, texts, calls, emergencies, deadlines, etc. We all have them.

There is only one way out of this mess of stated values, priorities, and goals not lining up with the results. It’s the realization that you have too many goals. Too many priorities, Too many values. You’re fooling yourself.This week’s podcast “LEADERSHIP VALUES” is a short coaching segment from me about how to escape the tyranny of the urgent. I hope you’ll give it a listen because when we become better leaders, everyone benefits, especially our loved ones waiting for us at home.