Most weeks at work probably feel like you’re juggling seven things at once — some of which are sharp and others on fire. How do you stop juggling and start prioritizing? There are a few tips and tricks. To figure out what comes first, consider the following:
Category 1: Your Most Important Outcomes
What’s the most important outcome you’re trying to create in your job? Why does your organization pay you? That should always be front of mind as you triage the demands on your attention.
Now, it might feel awkward or silly to articulate something that seems so obvious. But I promise you that when you receive your third threatening email from HR about finishing your harassment training, it’s easy to forget why you’re here. And losing sight of your most important thing is sure to mess with your ability to set priorities.
Once you’re clear on the most important outcome you’re working toward, you can move to the second category.
Category 2: What Others Are Counting On You For
That second category is what you need to do for people who are counting on you to achieve their most important outcomes. You’re a part of a team, and some of what needs to rise up your to-do list is the stuff that will keep the other cogs turning. That’s level two.
Category 3: Table Stakes for Staying in the Game
Finally, there’s a category of activities you can think of as table stakes for staying in the game. Ok, I was griping about HR’s harassment training earlier, but there are a variety of things you need to do because you’re part of an organization that has to obey laws, impress shareholders, and keep the lights on. You need to make room for that third category as well.
Building Your Week
Ok, now you’ve got those three different measures of importance:
- It’s central to what I’m here to do;
- It’s a key piece of what someone else needs; or
- It’s table stakes for being in business.
Those are three criteria for something being important, but how do you decide what comes first? Where do you fit each in your week?
The answer is that all three categories should show up in your week, but not all with the same amount of prime time or the same prime calendar real estate.
Start With Category 1
Put the activities that will create the most value in achieving your outcomes (Category 1) into your calendar first. That Category 1 activity might be something short-term or urgent you need to do, but it equally might be carving out time to plan and think ahead. Those activities should always take the best spot on your calendar.
If you have multiple activities in Category 1, give greater precedence to those where:
- It’s urgent — there is a window that will close
- It’s gotta be you — you’re the best or only person who could do the task
- It’s essential — it’s the most valuable part of the activity, not the fluff, not just nice to have
But that doesn’t mean you can give those Category 1 priorities 40 hours of your week. It just means you want to put them in first and in your most productive slots. For me, that’s the real estate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8am to 11. That’s the Boardwalk or Park Place on my calendar — prime productivity places.
Then Add Category 2
For the second category — the things you need to do because others are counting on you — put those in second. They don’t get your prime acreage, but they do get space and attention after you’ve dedicated time to your top priorities.
Unless it’s something urgent, I restrict Category 2 priorities to the afternoons from 1:30–4:30. I’m still cogent at that hour, but I’m not creative, so it’s not a big loss in accomplishing Category 1 priorities.
Category 3 Comes Last
What about the third category? All those table stakes activities — like dealing with emails, doing timesheets, taking the compliance training? Those things get the lowest priority and the fewest hours in your week.
Decide how many hours you’re going to devote to them, and put those activities in order from the most important and urgent at the top to the trivial, pencil-pushing, waste-of-time BS at the bottom. Then work diligently and efficiently to get as many done as possible in the allotted time. For those you don’t get done, beg forgiveness. You’re doing the most important things, and that’s what counts.
I do those things between 11–12 and after 4:30. That’s time that’s not good for much else, so I don’t begrudge using it for invoicing, reading newsletters, or setting up appointments.
One thing to note: it’s easy to be distracted by Category 3 and to dive into doing something because it was the most recent thing to hit your inbox. Try not to fall for that. That’s how Category 3 ends up squatting on prime real estate.
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Figuring out what’s a higher or a lower priority is not about determining whether you’ll do it or not. It’s about what you’ll do first in your high-value time and what you’ll relegate to the swamp land of your calendar.