How to Prioritize

In Parts 1 and 2 of the “Get It Done” series, you learned to get your task done by completing the bare minimum, and then, if you had time, creating a better version. But how do you prioritize what task to do first?

My prioritization system is fundamentally:

Does it have to be done?

Does it have to be done now?

I don’t ask all of these questions all of the time or in any particular order. These questions are particularly helpful if a task is taking too long or I don’t know what to do next.

Does It Have to Be Done?

I’m not very good at deciding what is important upfront, so frequently I get overwhelmed with too many tasks, or stuck working too long on one particular task. After I ask myself some of these questions, I realize how important a task is:

• Why do I think I need to do this?
• Why do I think I need to do this now?
• Am I using this task to procrastinate?
• Is this the actual thing I need to get done, or is this something related to the thing I need to get done (lists, plans, color-coding)?
• Do I need to do A+ work on this?
• Is it ok to do a bad job on this?
• Why do I think I need to do this excellently?
• Who is going to see this?
• How long do I think the recipient will spend on this?
• Is this taking longer than it should?
• How long would someone else spend on this?
• Would I be embarrassed to tell someone how long I’ve spent on this?

Does It Have to Be Done Now?

• Is there a deadline?
• Is someone waiting on me?
• Will it be more expensive to do later?
• Will I have fewer choices later?
• Will it ever be easier to do at a different time?
• Will it be difficult no matter when I do it?
• Is this the only window I have to do it?

Try One Thing:

APPLY ONE OF THESE QUESTIONS TO A DIFFICULT TASK

Related

When You’re Overwhelmed With a Task, Do the Bare Minimum

When You’re Ready to Do Slightly More Than Bare Minimum