Prioritizing Life

I can't recall where I picked this up but I have tried to live by it for a few years now.  I believe it has helped me be a better person and yes even a more productive person.  I will explain more later.  Here it is:

1. God
2. Spouse
3. Family
4. Work
5. Friends

So the more I choose to do things for #1 the better my relationship with #2.  Mostly because love, honor, respect, caring, etc all lead to a better marriage.  Now if my wife is happy that means I am happy.  When we are both happy then spending time with your family becomes more enjoyable.  Once all that is in place it makes dealing with the stress of work easier to deal with.  I also find when I am not worrying about what is going on in my home life as much I get more work done (focus).  When your life is good then you have more energy  to share with your friends.

I am not saying any of this is easy or that I follow it everyday.  Everyone has bad days and sometimes I fail on #1-5.  But I just go to sleep at night and start the next day trying my best.