We’ve all heard the advice, “pick your battles.”

And it’s good advice; we have to let some things go.

But the phrase falls short of an important consideration: timing.

The best time to pick your battles is not when you’re being provoked. Yes, it’s possible to walk away, to take a deep breath, to not say what’s on the tip of your tongue.

But the better time to pick your battles is before you get to the battlefield. And that happens in the quiet moments when we consider what’s important to us and what’s worth our attention in the long run.