To
prioritize is totally linked to the idea of making
decisions. That means when I am prioritizing I am helping myself to make
better decisions, but also when I prioritize tasks, I am training my own
capacity to make decisions.
The first
thing you need is CLEAR CRITERIA. Why would I do this task first? Why to
postpone this task? How do I know which task should be before this one?
I have 3
criteria for prioritization and that is something I change from time to time –
before, I had only 2. It helps me to canalize my energy in a better way and, I
must say that this system has been for a while now and it came from a very old
method: try and try and try… It is
possible these criteria tune with you, but you have to create your own
criteria, according to your life style, personality, time availability, etc.
My main
criterion reflects what will generate impact
in my life. I make a conscious effort to understand the tasks from a perspective
of its impact: How will this affect my
present professional option? What will be the effect of this on my health? In
which way will this help me with the present change I am going through? By
asking questions, you can understand which tasks should be performed before and
which ones after.
As a
balance, my second criterion is related to the easiness of the task. I have noticed in myself and others that as
the easier the task, there will be more enthusiasm for it. How many hours will I spend doing this? How much of this task I can
perform by myself? What is the level of weariness I will feel after finishing
the task? Sometimes, I have to split the task into small subtasks, so this
criterion is very important for me and it helps me to avoid distraction: the
more difficult the task is, the more I try to avoid it.
My last
criterion is new for me and I am still working with it. The idea behind it is
that every task should contribute
something important for me or for others, and I give more marks for those tasks
that contribute to others. What is the reasoning behind it? As an IT guy
(retired), I realized I give lots of attention to small details like ordering
my folders, so this type of tasks has been put as a very low mark as it only
contributes to my personal state of mind…
But my IT
skills are very useful, so prioritization for me it very easy, but complex enough
to create interest: I sum up all the criteria and order it in a spreadsheet by
total, impact, contribution and easiness.
Then, I start working on it, fulfilling every task.
I hope this helps you to be more productive!
Check my post on productivity too.
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