What Happens When You Put Yourself at the Top of Your To-Do List

Why Prioritizing Others Will Never Earn You the Life You Want.

I’ve gone to the gym over 5,000 times.

In the early years, I would hit the gym after school.

I’d mix my caffeine riddled Super Pump pre-workout in the locker room. Chug a double scoop of chocolate protein powder immediately after I finish then head home to watch Rock Of Love with my girlfriend (now wife).

Except it was always a struggle to work out in the evenings.

• The gym was packed.

• My energy was zapped.

• I wanted to spend time with Laura.

• Something always competed for my attention.

I eventually made a switch to the mornings.

I figured that nothing could get in the way if I went to the gym early enough.

And it hasn’t.

You see, in the morning…

The gym was empty. My energy wasn’t tapped from a busy or stressful day, it opened up evenings for quality time, and there were never errands to run or groceries to pick up forcing me to choose.

18+ years and thousands of gym sessions later I rarely (if ever) miss a workout.

This taught me, from a young age, the importance of prioritizing what you value most.

This is why I never aligned with the common productivity advice shilled from New York Times best-selling authors.

We’re commonly told to tackle the most challenging task first thing.

Except, the most challenging and urgent tasks that shot to the top of my to-do list were for someone else, and never for me.

This made my clients happy… at the expense of de-prioritizing myself.

For years, I remained at the bottom of the to-do list as there was always something bigger, more challenging, or more urgent than me.

• My business ideas.

• My personal projects.

• The things I wanted to learn.

• The hobbies I wanted to explore.

• Things to build the business & life I desired.

All vanished like the time that escaped me every single day.

Until I realized there would never be enough time until I made it.

I’d be here before.

Just like going to the gym, I had to prioritize what I valued most not what society indoctrinated me to think warranted the most attention.

Taking the advice of Oliver Burkeman I prioritized myself first and accepted the consequences that may follow.

Without sounding hyperbolic this has changed my life.

From going to the gym — the cornerstone of my physical and mental health.

To writing and work on my priorities for the first hour of every day.

• I’ve built a following.

• Built an email list.

• Created multiple products.

• Ended toxic contracts that paid the bills.

• Become a writer.

• Wrote the first draft of a book.

• Earned income from my writing.

…Just to name a few.

My business has fundamentally changed. I’ve gone from prioritizing everyone else to prioritizing myself and it feels amazing.

If you’ve found yourself struggling with this, try paying yourself first.

Because if you don’t prioritize what’s most important to you, you may never find the time to do it.

Landon

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