Next month we "officially" enter the 21st century. When I was a kid, the 21st century held the promise of
gleaming cities in the sky; robot servants; high-speed monorails whooshing us to and fro; and the end to poverty, war and disease. (Pretty naïve kid, huh?) Instead, other exotic technologies have
changed our lives in ways unimagined 20 years ago: personal computers, personal digital assistants and the Internet, just to name a few. Unfortunately, we also have exotic new forms of war,
poverty and disease. The reality of the present is far different from the hopes of yesterday. Change comes, it seems, in small, incremental and often unlikely ways. For
example, I'm sure that very few people gave much thought to changing the Electoral College or our system for collecting and counting votes until the recent election. To me, change is a matter of
priorities: Change occurs when priorities shift. Quality Digest is fortunate to count among our readers scientists, engineers, statisticians and other thinkers who will make
changes that will affect our lives in the future. These change agents make effective change by clearly defining their priorities and focusing their efforts on them. Anyone who's ever been to a
time-management seminar understands the importance of defining priorities. Unfortunately, saying you need to define priorities and actually doing so are two different tasks, especially in the
fast-paced 21st century. How do we know what to focus on first? It's easy to prioritize work. Just logically determine what the most important tasks are and list them in order
of importance. Then do them. (For an excellent explanation of this process, see Greg Ferguson's column, "Finding the Time for SPC.") If only
life were so simple as merely prioritizing work duties. It would be easy to choose between writing this column and spending time with my wife or editing an article and attending a finance meeting
at church. It's not so easy to prioritize our work, family, community and spiritual lives. I think Garrison Keillor says it best in the closing to his daily radio program, "The
Writer's Almanac": "Be well, do good work and keep in touch." Although we don't live in the simple world of Lake Wobegon, there's a fundamental truth in Keillor's words:  Be well.
You can't help others if you don't take care of yourself first. Focus on those priorities that keep you physically, mentally and spiritually well.
Do good work. Work hard at life, not just your job. Prioritize your commitments
to your spiritual needs, your family, your community and your place of employment. Balancing all of these puts work into perspective, leads to innovative ideas and fosters change. Keep in touch.
Staying connected to those people who add balance, meaning and perspective to your life helps you keep focused on the big picture. It's so easy to
obsess over work and forget the importance of old friends, family and colleagues. What are your priorities for the 21st century? E-mail your thoughts to me at spaton@qualitydigest.com . |
