{"id":1250,"date":"2009-12-07T08:41:47","date_gmt":"2009-12-07T16:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=1250"},"modified":"2013-09-27T09:15:41","modified_gmt":"2013-09-27T17:15:41","slug":"is-prioritization-failing-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/is-prioritization-failing-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Prioritization Failing You?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019ve ever struggled with time management (and who hasn\u2019t?), I\u2019d bet you\u2019ve given the advice to prioritize<\/em>. You make a list of all the things that need to be done \u2013 and even doing that<\/em> is scary. Then you try to rank them in order of which ones matter the most.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often really difficult to figure out priorities: is Report X more important than Call Y? Is following up with Prospect A going to bring in more money than keeping Client B sweet? And in life as a whole, is having time to exercise more important than taking your kids to a movie?<\/p>\n

Trying to prioritize can often just create more stress: maybe the things at the top of the list get done, but the items further down are still important \u2013 and you hate to neglect them. Or perhaps your boss, partner or teachers place different priorities on things.<\/p>\n

So what can you do? <\/p>\n

Ask an Unthinkable Question<\/h2>\n

In one of my favorite time-management books ever (Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play<\/a>), Mark Forster writes:<\/p>\n

The real question is not what priority something is, but whether it should be done at all. If we don\u2019t have the resources to do all the projects we have in hand, then the only really satisfactory solution is to cut the number of projects until they match the resources we have available.<\/p>\n

No amount of prioritizing is going to give you more time<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong> Prioritizing is essentially a way of saying that some items aren\u2019t going to get done. You might as well make this a conscious decision.<\/p>\n

What project can you ditch? (\u201cProject\u201d doesn\u2019t have to be something work-related \u2013 just anything long-term that you\u2019re working on.)<\/p>\n

What project could you put on hold for a few months, so you\u2019ve got time to finish what you\u2019re currently on \u2013 properly?<\/p>\n

Think Long Term<\/h2>\n

When you are faced with prioritizing one task over another, then figure out which is likely to matter in a year\u2019s time \u2013 rather than just in a day or a week. Perhaps letting your exercise routine slide seems like a good short term choice, but it doesn\u2019t look like such a great option when you think about your long term health.<\/p>\n

Which projects are going to pay off in a year\u2019s time? What might seem urgent right now but is unlikely to make any impact whatsoever later?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Figure Out Your Real Problems<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve got too much to do, it could be because you need to let something go \u2013 as mentioned above. It could also be a reflection of some deeper problem which no amount of prioritization is going to fix. Here are a couple of common ones:<\/p>\n

You Procrastinate<\/h3>\n

Do you find yourself wasting time? None of us are 100{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} efficient, but some people have a serious problem with procrastination<\/strong>, especially when a task requires a high energy level. If you know that you spend a lot of your time on unfulfilling pursuits that are just an excuse to put off doing the tasks on your list, then something\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n

You might be in a job which doesn\u2019t suit you. You could be chasing goals that someone else has set for you. You may simply need to strengthen your self-discipline muscles! Whatever it is, you need to tackle it in order to free up your time to do the work you want to do.<\/p>\n

You Have Constant Interruptions<\/h3>\n

If you find that your day goes haywire as soon as other people get involved, you may need to make some serious changes to the way you work. If you can never get ten uninterrupted minutes, you\u2019ll never make much headway on big projects.<\/strong> Interruptions don\u2019t just eat your time \u2013 they also make it hard for you to get into a state of flow on your work.<\/p>\n

Avoiding interruptions might mean implementing a new office policy \u2013 perhaps as simple as closing your door when you need to focus. If you work from home, you may need to talk to your partner, housemates or kids to explain that you need uninterrupted time.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, you can create as many beautiful color-coded prioritized lists as you want: on their own, they aren\u2019t much help! The real work gets done when you sit down to consciously focus on the task that you<\/em> need to get done.<\/p>\n

Do you prioritize your work? What benefits \u2013 and problems \u2013 have you found with this?<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A Smarter Approach To Time Management<\/a><\/p>\n

The Only Time Management Tip Your Really Need<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever struggled with time management (and who hasn\u2019t?), I\u2019d bet you\u2019ve given the advice to prioritize. You make a list of all the things that need to be done \u2013 and even doing that is scary. Then you try to rank them in order of which ones matter the most. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":12819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,91,4631,66,170,4629,4647],"yoast_head":"\nIs Prioritization Failing You?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019ve got too much to do, it could be because you need to let something go \u2013 as mentioned above. 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