Good, Better, Best

Choice is a great thing. It gives us opportunity and variety, but it also has a dark side: too many choices can add to our overall busy-ness by causing us to take on too much. It can make us to lose sight of our ultimate goals, and it can lead to mental vapor lock. How can we learn to choose wisely and well?

When overflowing choices start to overwhelm me, I use the “good, better, best” filtering system. This system is a tool that helps me achieve my goals and aspirations, because some things we have to just let go or not go after because although they may be good, or even better, we are going for the best goal!

Since there is never enough time for all the good things you’d love to do, you need to choose wisely, and choose things that match up with the goals you’ve set for yourself. In a more general sense, they should line up with your core values as a human being. Often, this alone will help you weed out a good many choices with very little trouble.

Set aside an hour to prioritize your life. Write out a list of all the important elements in your life, such as family, work, education, hobbies, church, activism, self-improvement, etc. Ponder which parts are most important to you (there are no wrong answers here, by the way). Any choice you face in your life will fall into one of these categories, so if you rate their importance, it gives you a good measuring stick to begin with. So the top third of your list is the best, the middle third is better, and the bottom third is good.

When you are presented with a choice to participate in an activity or otherwise invest your time, where does that activity fall? If it falls in the upper third, the best, then your choice is clear. If it falls in the bottom third, and you have many projects going in the upper third, that option can be dropped without remorse. If you have little going on in the top third and a bottom third option presents itself, by all means, go for it!

Even if now, in this particular season of your life, you find you can’t participate in some of the good stuff, remember that seasons change. In a future season of your life, you may have more time to devote to the good stuff in addition to the better and best. For instance, I’ve always loved learning new things. When I was a young mom with babies, there were always classes available to take, but I had to really pick and choose wisely because although those classes were good, (and some even better!) being home to read stories and kiss my babies good night was the best thing I could do at that season of my life.  Now that my kids are older, it’s a good season for me to take an occasional class that fits in with the goals I’ve set for myself.

So take a breath and slow down. Take the time to use the good, better, best system to decide your best course of action is every day. You’ll find you have more time, energy and are closer to your goals than you would be otherwise.