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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for September 28, 2009
“Prioritize Then Organize”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“Too many choices can tax the brain.”
That’s the headline of an article in the Los Angeles Times.
For example, Starbucks offers over 80,000 possible drink combinations. Comcast offers up to 1,000 channels (and there’s still nothing on.)
Or let’s say you just want to grab a Pepsi. Do you want Pepsi, or Diet Pepsi? Or Caffeine Free Pepsi? Or Pepsi Max? Or Pepsi One? Or Wild Cherry Pepsi or Diet Pepsi Vanilla or Lime; or how about Diet Pepsi Jazz?
Then there’s my all-time favorite, Pepsi Blue Hawaii, which you’ve probably never seen because, and you’re going to like this, Pepsi Blue Hawaii was only sold in Japan.
Or what about Christmas Pepsi or Holiday Spice Pepsi or even Pepsi Ice Cucumber?
Yes, too many choices can tax the brain. Popular Science addressed the issue and referred to something called “option paralysis.”
Barry Schwartz has a book out called, “The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less.” He describes the day he went to The Gap and said, “I want a regular pair of jeans.” The salesgirl said, “Do you want them slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit, baggy, or extra baggy? Do you want them stonewashed, acid-washed or distressed? Do you want them button-fly or zipper-fly?”
Okay, so we have plenty of products to choose from, big deal.
Well think about this. Back in the day you went to a school where there were about three dateable people. If one of them liked you, you married them.
Well now you aren’t limited to your school or your town or your state. You can choose online between millions of people!
When we have so many choices, how do we choose?
And it’s not just what we buy or who we date. It’s how we spend our time. It’s our activities: how much time at work, at what job? What do we do with our off time?
For most of history you worked like a dog all day just to survive. And you were lucky to have any choices.
But in America today we are drowning in choices. So the question is, with so many options, how do we choose?
Well here is a little phrase for you: prioritize, then organize.
It starts by knowing your priorities. What are the most important things? If you know, you will have a framework for making choices.
For example, my children are a high priority. That priority shapes my choices. Do I spend more time at home or go on long business trips? I stay at home.
Why? Because my priority is to have a close relationship with my kids, and the less I’m around, the less connected I will be.
This is especially true when you are raising teenagers. You know, teens just aren’t always in the mood to talk, so when that mood strikes, you need to be around.
So my children are a high priority, and I organize my life according to that priority.
That even affects my choice in exercise. For example, Saturday I could have headed off to the health club for an hour or two, but instead, I worked out at home.
Why? Because that kept me at home with my 16 year old daughter. I know it’s just a little thing, but counting the time they go from 13-years-old to 19-years-old that adds up to tons of time – time that I am there.
See how that works? Good health is a priority, so I organize my time to exercise. My family is a priority, so I organize my time to exercise at home.
When you figure out your priorities, so many choices just become obvious. Instead of options paralysis you end up with options obvious.
Priorities narrow the field. Do I go out with the boys Friday night or go out with my wife? Well my marriage is a top priority.
Do I join the Bible study or the Bridge Club? Well the Word is a top priority.
So start by knowing your priorities. For me, it’s the Lord first, then my wife, then my children. And then I organize my life according to those priorities.
So are you suffering from option paralysis? Do you find that too many choices tax your brain?
Then here is a little phrase that will help. It’s a two-step method that should streamline all your decision-making, and it’s simply this: prioritize then organize.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
So how would prioritizing help you pick which jeans to buy or which Pepsi to drink?
The priority of modesty will help you choose clothing, as will the priority of your budget.
The priority of health may help you choose your Pepsi (or no Pepsi at all). Some people will choose the Pepsi they happen to have a coupon for! Some will never choose Pepsi based on their support for certain immoral causes.
Any choice we make can fit into a structure of priorities. It’s just a matter of ranking our priorities.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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