You can’t do it all, and you certainly can’t do it all at once. Prioritizing is about asking what’s important and what’s more important now. Time changes what’s important. Values influence what’s important. One way to stay grounded in your priorities is to continuously ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish?” This will help you stay focused on the outcomes that matter to you. You’ll find this will shift over time, but it’s a good way to remind yourself what you’re driving towards.
Prioritizing is how you figure out your next best thing to do. It’s about working on the right things in the right sequence. The key to effective prioritizing is working backwards from what you want to accomplish. This includes figuring out what you value most, and making effective trade-offs. Keep in mind that time changes what’s important. This is why you should avoid spending too much time prioritizing lists that will likely change. Prioritize just before you do the work. This will let you respond to emerging needs and windows of opportunity.
Checklist
- Prioritization Checklist
Guidelines
- Prioritization Guidelines
Solutions at a Glance
- Prioritization Solutions at a Glance