But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be provided for you.
—Matthew 6:33
When distributing time and energy across various aspects of life, you could do worse than the following structure of prioritization.
Imagine a pyramid with different layers—the bottom and largest layer representing where you should focus the most attention, moving upwards toward areas of decreasing priority—the order is as follows:
Community
Family/Friends
Children
Partner
Self
God
Here’s why:
God - Whether or not you believe in a pervading spirit that inspired holy scripture and controls events, expressing gratitude toward something higher, seeking guidance through meditation, or manifesting desires through prayer by invoking the law of attraction are powerful tools. They can help you navigate the moral landscape of life and fulfill your destiny.
Self - Without taking care of yourself—in mental, physical, and spiritual health—you can’t possibly be the best partner, parent, friend, or member of your community you need to be.
Partner - If you choose to have a family, the foundational layer the children stand on is that of the relationship between their parents. While there may be examples where this ordering can be debated, in an ideal world, you’ve built such a foundation with the first two layers that you’ve made the right choice of spouse before having children.
Children - The obligation tied to this layer of the pyramid doesn’t need spelling out, but you can only provide the best for your offspring after putting forth the effort to establish the previous layers.
Family/Friends - Of importance, of course, but the nuclear family should come before others, as the main responsibility is raising children who will one day venture off into the world to either contribute to the production or destruction of society.
Community - As beneficial as social organizations can be, they shouldn’t take priority over everything that precedes them here. And even further from your attention should be things happening outside your immediate purview.