Here’s a simple truth, not all tasks are created equal. That’s because not every outcome is going to be equal! When we try and make everything happen with the same level of energy and urgency, the tasks that really are urgent and make massive progress gets lost in the noise of life. Proper and realistic priorities help reveal those key tasks and get out momentum back rolling.
Here’s the facts on priorities
During a study by the National Institutes of Health, researchers found that task prioritization was the number one soft skill doctors needed in staff. When stress is high and abundant, having a clear next priority was a significant benefit.
In the article Setting Priorities and Managing Time: Core Leadership Skills, writers found that improving prioritization and time management skills improved both work-life balance and boundary setting. That means getting our priorities right can compound out into other benefits we might not have considered!
Some techniques to use
There are many different methods that could be used. Just remember that you may not get to all of them. By using the 80/20 rule you can still focus on the ones that make the biggest impact!
Focusing questions
The focusing questions is a technique to help you rapidly slim down a list you already have. 1. Is this task relevant? Sometimes tasks from old projects or no longer relevant processes can show up and clog up our workflows. 2. Does this task need to be accomplished right now? If not, then move it to a list of tasks for later. 3. Does this task need to be accomplished by me? can you delegate this task or create an automation that eliminates this task? If you want to read deeper into the focusing questions we discuss them deeper in our article on determining if a task is in your 20%.
Categorize into 4 categories
On a sheet of paper make 4 boxes and label them Must do, Should do, Could do, and Nice to do. For this to work, you must be honest when placing tasks into each box! Must do consists of the tasks that are absolute musts right now and might cause other failures. Should do tasks are important like a must do, but are less immediate. Could do tasks aren’t time sensitive but make an impact. Nice to do tasks are a bonus in that they don’t cause major momentum but might improve the overall project.
Ranked list
For the ranked list to be powerful, you have to know the impact that the result of accomplishing that task will have. For example in the Six Sigma world, they look at projects in terms of what is called Net Present Value, or how much money the project will bring in or save. If your tasks don’t have a financial impact use an internal scale. Make a master list of all the tasks you have to get done (whiteboards are fantastic for this), then on a sheet of paper start with the task that has the biggest impact and end with the smallest impact at the bottom. As you add tasks remember to erase tasks on the whiteboard!
