Do you find it difficult to accomplish your goals and projects on time?

Do you feel your efficiency has gone down?

Well, one of the main reasons could be the techniques that you use to prioritize your tasks.

From what I have learned about prioritizing, there is no single formula that will help you to get the results that you desire.

To be successful at getting your goals and projects moving forward faster, you will have to blend and combine 3 to 4 approaches.

In this article, I am sharing 8 different ways of prioritization that are used by experts to work faster and achieve more in as little time as possible.

So keep reading till the end to know the different ways and find those ways which will help you to prioritize more effectively.

But before you get started, let me share with you some benefits of prioritization.

Get these 23 Productivity Hacks to Work Smarter, Get more done and find Fulfilment and Balance Here !

WHY PRIORITISATION IS IMPORTANT?

Prioritizing is essential to get the maximum out of our efforts.

There will not be a single day when there are no problems or distractions.

Without prioritizing, you are most likely to get swayed by the challenges and might find it difficult to make progress or reach your goals faster.

Everything can’t be urgent and everything can’t be important, or else everything will lose its urgency or importance.

In the face of all the adversities, prioritizing is a very essential thing to do, so that you stay focused on the most important things that will give you the maximum benefits and results in your career and personal life

By prioritizing, you save a lot of productive time by not having to shift your mental gears now and then.

By prioritizing, you will be able to differentiate between what is urgent and what is important and make the right decisions to do the right things at the right time.

It helps you to keep up your performance.

Getting your priorities clear helps you to stay in progress and you will get a sense of satisfaction at the end of each day to have done your most important tasks.

So let me share with you the top 8 ways of prioritizing that will help you work more efficiently and effectively .Go through them and choose 2 to 3 techniques that will help you to work efficiently and effectively.

THE 8 DIFFERENT WAYS OF PRIORITIZATION THAT WILL HELP YOU TO GET THE MAXIMUM OUT OF YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS .

1 .ABCDE- It is derived from Brian Tracy’s ‘’Eat That Frog.’’

According to this approach , you write all the things that you have to do the next day and rank them in order of importance using A,B,C,D,E.

It helps you get things done faster if you plan effectively and set your priorities .

A -It is for very important tasks and those which you must do, or will have a serious negative consequence .They are called Frogs.

Eg –Your Boss asked you to do something urgently , or you have an appointment with your companies top customer .If you have more than a couple of A type tasks , use A1,A2,A3 to rank them and do not go to do any other tasks until you finish them

B- ‘’B’’ type tasks have less dire consequence ,compared to A tasks , like answering a less important call or email .No one will be offended if you do not do this .

The tip to remember is that do not go to do B task when you have an A pending .

C– A “C” type of tasks will be something pleasant to do but do not make much difference .You can do without them . Like calling a friend or having tea with a colleague .They do not impact your work .

.D- A “D” type of task is something anyone else can do so that you are left with enough time to focus on the task that you are proficient at, the ‘A’ type of tasks. You can delegate them.

E- ‘E’ type of tasks are those tasks that were important once upon a time but are no longer necessary or relevant . Spending time on them will distract your focus from ‘A’ type of tasks.

NOTE –It is important to focus your efforts on completing A task ,so that you can achieve more ,and much faster.

2.MASTER TO DO LIST –

One of the best things that you can do is to create a Master list of all the tasks that you want to accomplish.

Now take one to-do list and make a task list for each day. This will make it easy for you to achieve and save you from overwhelm .

3.MIT–Focus on your Most Important Tasks (MITs)

This method of task prioritisation is recommended by Leo Babauta ,where MIT stands for the Most Important Task.

He uses this simple approach to Prioritise the 3 most important tasks to get done each day .

Make a list of the most important 3 tasks you want to get done each day .

Focus your efforts on accomplishing them and if there is extra time left after completing them , you can do some extra lighter tasks.

This will make you feel that you have had a successful and fulfilling day.

4.The Ivy Lee Method

Ivy Lee has a simple method to achieve peak productivity . He has a simple daily routine ,which helps him to accomplish his tasks and be productive .

Every day in the evening , write down the 6 most important things you want to accomplish the next day.
Then put a rank against them in order of importance .
When you begin your work day , focus only on the first task, and work till it is finished . Move on to the second task only when the first is complete .
Follow the same practice with all the tasks in the list . At the end of the day ,check for any pending tasks and shift them to the list for the next day .
Continue with this process every working day .

The reason why this approach is so effective is because :

It is simple and requires you to work on one task at a time.

You do not overwhelm about starting.

5.ACTION PRIORITY MATRIX

The Action Priority Matrix is another name for Effort vs. Impact method, that helps you to decide where you must concentrate your efforts , so that you know how much reward you are getting for the effort you put in .

The tool is divided into 4 Quadrants-

1.Low Effort ,High Impact – Also known as Quick wins .

These priorities require little effort, but bring back a big return. If possible, this is where you want to spend majority of your time. Start with these!

2.High Effort ,High Impact -Major Projects and Big Goals.

These priorities require you to put a lot of work in, and as a result, you will have a big return.

These tend to be time consuming, and are sometimes worth the time investment.

Focus on these efforts second.

3.High Effort ,Low Impact -Hard Slogs.

They take up most of your time and are unpleasant to do.

You put blood, sweat, and tears into it, and your hard work did not pay off at all.

You want to avoid these tasks as they are a waste of your time.

4.Low Effort ,Low Impact -Fill Ins

You don’t put that much into the task, and subsequently, you do not get much out of it. Like calling a friend , booking tickets for a movie show .

Like high impact, high effort, these tasks may not always be worth it, although they may add up if you do them enough.

Focus on these third.

For In depth use of this tool ,read the article –”How To Be More Effective With Your Time ”

6.URGENT IMPORTANT MATRIX

The Urgent Important Matrix or the Eisenhower tool is a very effective tool to help you take decisions on your tasks that will increase your productivity and focus your efforts on tasks that will help you move towards your goals .

You can organize your tasks with the help of the 4 Quadrants in the matrix .

The tool has 4 Quadrants ,which are as follows :

Urgent and important –Tasks that need to be done immediately .Emails ,Phone calls , leaking pipe , toothache an emergency, a deadline, or stopping a flood etc.

Important, but not urgent –Tasks that can be scheduled to be done later .They contribute to your long term goals and mission.

Examples: A project that is due in two months, preparing for your seminar that is three months away, or long-term planning.

Urgent, but not important –Tasks that can be delegated to someone else .

Examples: You have paperwork that needs to be filled out by tomorrow, but that could be delegated to somebody else so you can focus on what is critical like answering an email, or making a reservation.

Neither urgent nor important-Tasks that can be eliminated altogether . Examples: Checking your social media, watching TV.

The Eisenhower Matrix can be used consistently each week to prioritise your task for each week.

7.WARREN BUFFETT’S 3 STEP APPROACH TO PRIORITIZING

Warren Buffet is a name we are all familiar with . He has a very superb understanding of where he must spend his time .He owes his success to the way he manages his time daily.

He Uses a Two Lists and a 3 step approach to Prioritise .

Here is how his 3 step strategy to set his priorities works –

Step 1 : The first step

is to write down your top 25 Goals .

Step 2 : Review Your list and Shortlist the Top 5 goals you want to accomplish first .

Step 3 – You have a short-list of 5 items and a long list of the 20 items which you will focus on later ,List A and B.

According to this strategy, focus on doing all the tasks of List A.

List B is avoid at all costs list .

Before completing the goals of list A do not touch the goals in list B .

Note : This strategy can also be used to accomplish your short -term goals for a week .Suppose you make a list to accomplish your top 25 things of the week ,then you can make a list and focus your efforts on it .

8 THE 80/20 RULE

Also known as the Pareto Principle, the rule states “80% of the results come from 20% of the action.”

As a result, when deciding where to focus your efforts, you want to choose the 20% of tasks that would give you the highest return on investment of your time.

This technique helps you to separate the essentials from the trivial tasks.

According to the rule , Identify 20 % of the tasks that bring 80% of the results ,and make that 20 % your priority for productivity .

By pinpointing precisely the right area to focus your efforts on , you can get more results with less effort. It’s a great strategy to be used from time to time .

The best strategy you can use to identify your 20% work is a simple 3 step process:

Step 1:Pick out 3 most important things that your can do today.’

Step 2 : Narrow your choice to 2 things

Step 3 :Drill down further and choose 1 by asking yourself a tough question like , ‘’Which one will I do if I had to go out of town tomorrow ?”

This will help you to identify the task which gives you the most value.

You can also use the Action Priority Matrix to decide what those 20% of tasks are.

For me ,writing an article will be my 20 % ,because it helps to boost the visibility of my site , bring new traffic to the site ,get me more shares.

If you are handling services , you might notice that majority of the problems are coming from a few clients who give you the most business .

So the best and most effective thing you can do is to solve the problems that these clients are having ,rather than attend to those that do not give you much business.

CONCLUSION

It is important to prioritise but it is equally important to understand your bandwidth .You need to be practical with the amount of work that you can do daily .

By prioritising , you feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day .

You feel fulfilled and get the feeling that your day was well spent .

Prioritisation also gives you a sense of having made progress each day .

But there is one thing that I would like to mention and it is that ,that not every day you will make the same amount of progress , not every day the same amount of work can be done .

So keep prioritising , but be practical about the amount of effort that can be put in and output that can be achieved .

You have to use a blend of 3 to 4 different approaches to be a master at prioritising .

Day to day prioritisation is a must along with quarterly ,monthly and weekly priorities .

The Action priority tool, 80/20 rule or Warren Buffett’s 3 step approach is good for Quarterly goals .

The urgent and important matrix can be used each week and To -do list ,MIT,ABCDE ,Ivy Lee Method can be used daily.

You have to keep testing and trying and find 3 to 4 approaches that you can use to prioritise successful in different situations.

How helpful was the article .What did you learn from it ?

Which techniques did you find useful?

If you use any other techniques to prioritise please share them in the comments box below .

Babita Sharma

Leadership Coach

www.leadwithpassion.co.in

P.S-Please share the post and help someone today .

Do you find it difficult to accomplish your goals and projects on time?

Do you feel your efficiency has gone down?

Well, one of the main reasons could be the techniques that you use to prioritize your tasks.

From what I have learned about prioritizing, there is no single formula that will help you to get the results that you desire.

To be successful at getting your goals and projects moving forward faster, you will have to blend and combine 3 to 4 approaches.

In this article, I am sharing 8 different ways of prioritization that are used by experts to work faster and achieve more in as little time as possible.

So keep reading till the end to know the different ways and find those ways which will help you to prioritize more effectively.

But before you get started, let me share with you some benefits of prioritization.

Get these 23 Productivity Hacks to Work Smarter, Get more done and find Fulfilment and Balance Here !

WHY PRIORITISATION IS IMPORTANT?

Prioritizing is essential to get the maximum out of our efforts.

There will not be a single day when there are no problems or distractions.

Without prioritizing, you are most likely to get swayed by the challenges and might find it difficult to make progress or reach your goals faster.

Everything can’t be urgent and everything can’t be important, or else everything will lose its urgency or importance.

In the face of all the adversities, prioritizing is a very essential thing to do, so that you stay focused on the most important things that will give you the maximum benefits and results in your career and personal life

By prioritizing, you save a lot of productive time by not having to shift your mental gears now and then.

By prioritizing, you will be able to differentiate between what is urgent and what is important and make the right decisions to do the right things at the right time.

It helps you to keep up your performance.

Getting your priorities clear helps you to stay in progress and you will get a sense of satisfaction at the end of each day to have done your most important tasks.

So let me share with you the top 8 ways of prioritizing that will help you work more efficiently and effectively .Go through them and choose 2 to 3 techniques that will help you to work efficiently and effectively.

THE 8 DIFFERENT WAYS OF PRIORITIZATION THAT WILL HELP YOU TO GET THE MAXIMUM OUT OF YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS .

1 .ABCDE- It is derived from Brian Tracy’s ‘’Eat That Frog.’’

According to this approach , you write all the things that you have to do the next day and rank them in order of importance using A,B,C,D,E.

It helps you get things done faster if you plan effectively and set your priorities .

A -It is for very important tasks and those which you must do, or will have a serious negative consequence .They are called Frogs.

Eg –Your Boss asked you to do something urgently , or you have an appointment with your companies top customer .If you have more than a couple of A type tasks , use A1,A2,A3 to rank them and do not go to do any other tasks until you finish them

B- ‘’B’’ type tasks have less dire consequence ,compared to A tasks , like answering a less important call or email .No one will be offended if you do not do this .

The tip to remember is that do not go to do B task when you have an A pending .

C– A “C” type of tasks will be something pleasant to do but do not make much difference .You can do without them . Like calling a friend or having tea with a colleague .They do not impact your work .

.D- A “D” type of task is something anyone else can do so that you are left with enough time to focus on the task that you are proficient at, the ‘A’ type of tasks. You can delegate them.

E- ‘E’ type of tasks are those tasks that were important once upon a time but are no longer necessary or relevant . Spending time on them will distract your focus from ‘A’ type of tasks.

NOTE –It is important to focus your efforts on completing A task ,so that you can achieve more ,and much faster.

2.MASTER TO DO LIST –

One of the best things that you can do is to create a Master list of all the tasks that you want to accomplish.

Now take one to-do list and make a task list for each day. This will make it easy for you to achieve and save you from overwhelm .

3.MIT–Focus on your Most Important Tasks (MITs)

This method of task prioritisation is recommended by Leo Babauta ,where MIT stands for the Most Important Task.

He uses this simple approach to Prioritise the 3 most important tasks to get done each day .

Make a list of the most important 3 tasks you want to get done each day .

Focus your efforts on accomplishing them and if there is extra time left after completing them , you can do some extra lighter tasks.

This will make you feel that you have had a successful and fulfilling day.

4.The Ivy Lee Method

Ivy Lee has a simple method to achieve peak productivity . He has a simple daily routine ,which helps him to accomplish his tasks and be productive .

Every day in the evening , write down the 6 most important things you want to accomplish the next day.

Then put a rank against them in order of importance .

When you begin your work day , focus only on the first task, and work till it is finished . Move on to the second task only when the first is complete .

Follow the same practice with all the tasks in the list . At the end of the day ,check for any pending tasks and shift them to the list for the next day .

Continue with this process every working day .

The reason why this approach is so effective is because :

It is simple and requires you to work on one task at a time.

You do not overwhelm about starting.

5.ACTION PRIORITY MATRIX

The Action Priority Matrix is another name for Effort vs. Impact method, that helps you to decide where you must concentrate your efforts , so that you know how much reward you are getting for the effort you put in .

The tool is divided into 4 Quadrants-

1.Low Effort ,High Impact – Also known as Quick wins .

These priorities require little effort, but bring back a big return. If possible, this is where you want to spend majority of your time. Start with these!

2.High Effort ,High Impact -Major Projects and Big Goals.

These priorities require you to put a lot of work in, and as a result, you will have a big return.

These tend to be time consuming, and are sometimes worth the time investment.

Focus on these efforts second.

3.High Effort ,Low Impact -Hard Slogs.

They take up most of your time and are unpleasant to do.

You put blood, sweat, and tears into it, and your hard work did not pay off at all.

You want to avoid these tasks as they are a waste of your time.

4.Low Effort ,Low Impact -Fill Ins

You don’t put that much into the task, and subsequently, you do not get much out of it. Like calling a friend , booking tickets for a movie show .

Like high impact, high effort, these tasks may not always be worth it, although they may add up if you do them enough.

Focus on these third.

For In depth use of this tool ,read the article –”How To Be More Effective With Your Time ”

6.URGENT IMPORTANT MATRIX

The Urgent Important Matrix or the Eisenhower tool is a very effective tool to help you take decisions on your tasks that will increase your productivity and focus your efforts on tasks that will help you move towards your goals .

You can organize your tasks with the help of the 4 Quadrants in the matrix .

The tool has 4 Quadrants ,which are as follows :

Urgent and important –Tasks that need to be done immediately .Emails ,Phone calls , leaking pipe , toothache an emergency, a deadline, or stopping a flood etc.

Important, but not urgent –Tasks that can be scheduled to be done later .They contribute to your long term goals and mission.

Examples: A project that is due in two months, preparing for your seminar that is three months away, or long-term planning.

Urgent, but not important –Tasks that can be delegated to someone else .

Examples: You have paperwork that needs to be filled out by tomorrow, but that could be delegated to somebody else so you can focus on what is critical like answering an email, or making a reservation.

Neither urgent nor important-Tasks that can be eliminated altogether . Examples: Checking your social media, watching TV.

The Eisenhower Matrix can be used consistently each week to prioritise your task for each week.