Tips for Prioritizing Tasks at Work When Everything Is Important

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The most important thing is this: don't try to do everything. Instead, decide what is most important and attack it with everything you have.[2]

—Stephen Covey

Do you struggle with finding the time to do the things important? If so, this tip is for you.

It's tempting to prioritize everything, but we all have limited time and limited energy for each day. So, how do you decide what is most important and what will get the most of your time? In this chapter, I'll give you ways to prioritize and manage your time most effectively.

The first thing to do when you need to manage your time is assess the tasks. Most people think they need to prioritize their tasks according to the most important ones first. Instead, the first thing you should do is determine which tasks are the most important. Then, you can prioritize the rest according to how you can best complete them.

Here are a few of my favorite tips for prioritizing tasks:

1. Ask for Help

If you are drowning in work, and simply have too much to do in too little time, ask for help. Remember, you did not get to this position where you are buried in work without being able to delegate or outsource.

You have probably seen the movie Good Will Hunting. In the movie, Robin Williams plays a psychologist who helps Matt Damon, the main character, deal with his anger and anxiety. One scene occurs in a courtroom where Matt gets into a heated confrontation with the judge. When Matt is asked to explain his behavior, he says, "I'm sorry, your Honor. I'm having trouble focusing."

If you need help, you can get it from your employees. You will be surprised at how many people are willing to help. One of my favorite books is called Managing Without Bosses by Joel Makower. The book is full of fantastic ideas and tips on how to manage people better. One of my favorite ideas from the book is that when employees need help with a task, they should ask to speak to the manager, not the boss.

Another tip for finding help is to have a friend or a colleague who is a skilled at time management. Ask them how they prioritize their work, and ask for their advice. You can also hire a coach to help you manage your time.

2. Make a Plan for the Day

Do you use your calendar to track your appointments? If not, do it today. Use your calendar to schedule appointments and to keep yourself aware when you have meetings or conference calls.

I've found that using a calendar is one of the most helpful things you can do to help you manage your time. It's simple. When you have a task or meeting, simply put it on your calendar. For example, if you need to talk to your boss or meet with your employees, you can schedule time for that.

You can also use your calendar to help you organize your day. The simplest way to use your calendar is to put important time-management information on it. For example, you might put on your calendar when you have meetings and when you have lunches. This way you know when you have time to complete your project. You can also use your calendar to write down where you need to go on the day—a meeting, lunch, lunch with a client, a doctor's appointment, or a meeting to follow up on an email.

3. Track Your Time

Once you begin tracking your time, you will see when you are spending too much time on something.

The first thing you need to know is how long a task should take. For example, do your tasks take as long as they did when you first started the job? If not, what has changed in the way you are doing the task? For example, have you become better or faster at completing it? Or have you added some new tasks to the mix?

The second thing you need to do is record how long it actually takes you to complete the task. For example, take a look at the number of pages you have written since you last recorded the amount of time it took you to complete the chapter. Is it more or less than before?

Now that you know how long it takes you to complete the task, you can analyze how that time was spent. For example, if you take a look at the amount of time it takes you to complete the chapter, you might find that you can complete four or five pages in twenty minutes. You can also look at the breakdown of how you spend your time—reading, writing, emailing, etc.

The third thing you need to do is look at what the task will cost. For example, how much time is it costing you if you spend the next hour writing a report? If it is costing you three hours, then you may need to hire someone to help you.

4. Get Rid of Clutter

One of the most powerful ways to manage your time is to get rid of those tasks that don't give you any benefit. In order to do that, you must first be aware of how you spend your time. If you are not aware of how you spend your time, you will not be aware of what is cluttering your time with tasks that you can do without.

Here are a few ideas to help you get rid of clutter:

• Take a look at your inbox. Which emails are the most important ones? Which ones do you need to read?
• Take a look at your calendar. Is there an appointment that won't benefit you or your company? Can you eliminate it?
• Take a look at your desk. What is cluttering your time? What items need to be put away?
• Take a look at your inbox or calendar. Are there any tasks that you can eliminate?
• Take a look at your inbox or calendar. Are there any tasks that you can delegate?
• Take a look at your calendar. Is there something that conflicts with your family?
• Take a look at your schedule. Is there something that conflicts with your other projects?

5. Set Deadlines

The final tip for creating a more productive day is to set deadlines for yourself or your employees. Deadlines help you to focus your efforts, and they help you to know when you must complete each task.

For example, if you need to create a proposal, you can set a deadline for yourself. This will help you to stay focused on creating the proposal and to know when you must complete it.

If you need someone else to complete a task, you can set a deadline for that person as well. This will help you to keep your eye on the goal, and it will also help you to ensure that the task is completed on time.

Take a look at the items on your to-do list. Look at each one and ask yourself, "What is the deadline?"

In this chapter, I have given you a few strategies for helping you to manage your time more effectively.

Managing Your Time More Effectively

Most companies have a budget for each employee. You should expect that budget to be used for the things that are most important to the company. For example, if you are a financial analyst, you should expect your budget to be used for working on the financial reports. The same is true for accounting, sales, and marketing—you should expect your budget to be used for your area.

If you have more than one job or if you are an employee, you should also expect your budget to be used for the tasks that you are assigned.

In the previous chapter, I talked about setting the right expectations for your employees and yourself. If the tasks you are assigned are not aligned with your job or company goals, you should always be asking for a change.

If the tasks you are assigned are important, but not the ones that are best used for you, you should also be asking for a change. If your budget is not being used for the things that are most important, you should ask for it to be reassigned.

If you have a good relationship with your manager, you should feel comfortable making these kinds of requests. I know it's not easy, but I have found that it is worth it.

If the person in charge of your budget is not being responsive to your requests, then you need to change managers. This is a critical time in your career. You need to work with people who understand your abilities and are willing to meet your needs.

Remember, you must take care of yourself and your career. If you do not take care of these things, you will burn out. For example, if you are always going over to a client's office to help them with projects, you should stop. You are not a project manager. You should ask for help in the form of extra projects or other tasks that are in line with your job.

If you are not getting the work you need, it's time to start moving on. If you are not getting the projects that you deserve, it's time to speak up and ask for them. You may need to consider changing positions or companies.

If you are getting too many projects and not enough time to complete them, you need to learn how to say no.

If you're looking for a task app for work check out Atomic that will help you organize your day using AI.