Finding Your True North: Setting Caregiving Priorities That Actually Work

If you had a compass that could point you toward the most important caregiving priorities, what would you set it to?

As caregivers, it’s easy to believe we must do everything — every task, every favor, every errand — perfectly. That belief is exhausting… and it’s a lie.

When you try to be everywhere at once, you end up feeling like you’re always dropping the ball somewhere. The truth? You can’t hold everything all the time. And you’re not supposed to.

Instead, think of your caregiving energy like a phone battery. You wouldn’t run 42 apps in the background and expect your battery to last all day. The same goes for you — your energy is precious, and it needs to be directed where it matters most.

Here’s one way to start:

• Choose three priorities each week. Not ten. Not “everything I can think of.” Just three.
  
• Let everything else be optional. If it gets done, wonderful. If not, it’s not a failure — it’s focus.
  
• Review your list midweek and ask: “Do these still serve me and my loved one right now?”
  
  

I once worked with a caregiver whose week looked like this:

1. Medication management
   
2. One daily moment of connection with her spouse (even if it was just holding hands)
   
3. Her own rest — a non-negotiable bedtime
   

It changed everything. She went from constantly reacting to calmly choosing. From guilt and second-guessing to peace and confidence.

Priorities aren’t about saying “no” to people — they’re about saying “yes” to what truly serves both you and your loved one.

You can’t drop the ball when you’ve chosen which balls you’re actually willing to juggle.

And if you want a head start on figuring out your top three priorities, grab my Caregiver Check-In & Goal Setting Mini Guidebook — it’s designed to help you cut through the noise and point your caregiving compass toward what matters most.