It is necessary to get things in their correct order. That is not hierarchy, it is a process through which we reach the right outcome. You cannot know what is next if you do not know what came before. If you do not bother to find out what came before you can rest assured that your outcome will not be what you think it is. It is not wise to decide that 1969 comes after 1972, for instance, because in this world, it doesn’t. 1972 would not have been what it is if 1969 had not come first.
Priorities are best in chronological order. That way, you can see where you are versus where you were and you can then plan where you want to be. In retrospect – using hindsight – chronology also gives you an accurate breakdown of your progress along your journey. You can see where you made mistakes and how you overcame them, and you can work out why doing certain things at certain times is pointless. Chronology is like A, B, C, D, E. Or 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It is knowing that if you will fly, you must first grow wings. Growing wings in 2015 is advisable if you will fly in 2017, for example. Wings do not grow overnight.
A timeline is another kind of chronology, and it is somewhat like a map. If you can read numbers, orders, you can read your future past and thereby arrive at your present destination with all your ducks in a row. I have heard it said that ducks in a row are too easy to shoot, but that is perhaps a pessimist’s view. Ducks in a row can slipstream. That means unless you are using a bazooka you are unlikely to hit all the ducks with one shot. Work out your timeline and trust its message. We all have our own times and places to be – your timeline is not mine, mine is mine. Yours is yours. Timelines are exciting when you establish – and follow – their lead. In essence they know more about you than you do.
C.J. Birch 