Kat Boogaard* says not everyone is great at prioritising the things on their to-do list and discusses four ways to get the ranking right.
Your to-do list might feel a little overwhelming some days, but it’s nothing that you can’t sort through and conquer with a little bit of thought and planning.
Here are four strategies that can help you prioritise your work tasks.
- Use an urgent-important matrix
While it’s easy to get swept up in the belief that everything on your list carries equal importance and is time-sensitive, that’s hardly ever the case. It’s time to jot everything down, so you’re able to better filter through it. A priorities matrix might sound like a fancy way of doing that, but it doesn’t need to be anything complicated.
Keep your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks in mind as you categorize your tasks.
Give it a try for yourself, and you’ll be breathing a little easier in no time.
- Identify three key tasks
Finding a way to keep yourself focused on the meat and potatoes—even when your plate gets piled full throughout the day—can keep you on track.
Start each morning by identifying three key tasks that you need to get done that day and then challenge yourself to conquer those.
If you can finish the workday and see that you accomplished those three things, you’ll feel (and actually be!) a lot more productive.
Three tasks might seem like a small number.
However, it’s large enough to keep you focused on what matters without being totally unattainable.
That said, it’s worth noting that priorities can change and it’s important to be nimble as necessary, but this can be a helpful general guideline to follow.
- Eat the frog first
Based on a Mark Twain quote, eating the frog means that you tackle your hardest task first.
When you focus on this to-do right away and put it behind you, you’ll be better able to prioritise your other tasks.
How does this help? Well, for starters, that task on your list still needs to get done.
If you procrastinate, it’ll never actually be a priority, and you’ll be faced with it over and over again.
Second, there’s something powerful about the sense of accomplishment you get from knowing the hardest is behind you.
- Budget non-negotiable time
If you take a step back from only focusing on daily or weekly prioritisation and look at the bigger picture, you can figure out how to make time to work on those larger projects throughout the month by scheduling non-negotiable time for yourself on your calendar.
Physically block that time out on your calendar so people can’t schedule meetings with you during that time.
This will allow you to focus your undivided attention on key tasks.
Make it a priority
Prioritisation at work can be challenging—especially if priorities are constantly shifting.
However, knowing how to successfully rank and prioritise your work tasks can boost your productivity and make you feel in control and able to tackle whatever comes your way.
*Kat Boogaard is a writer specialising in career and self-development advice.
This article first appeared at flexjobs.com.
