“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~ Stephen Covey
Projects can pile up quickly. Some are large, complex and time-consuming. Others are simple and quick as lightening.
Projects seem to come from every direction. Customers, managers, peers, family and friends are all vying for your time, your help and your expertise.
Maybe you feel caught in the middle. You want to do it all. You want to please everyone. but you cannot. There is only one you. And there is only so much you can do.
Especially in one day.
How do you decide? What is the top priority? What gets your attention?
When you are wrestling with what should be on your to-do list, follow these seven valuable tips for setting your priorities.
1. Make a list.
It is a good idea to keep all of your project requests on one list. Get the information out of your head, your e-mail and your text messages into a journal or a productivity app.
2. Know your responsibilities and expectations.
You may be assigned a project because you are good at what you do, not because it is your responsibility. Be on guard. Confirm that the project aligns with your job description or other previously agreed upon expectations.
3. Know your personal capacity.
As a rule of thumb, successful people avoid overtaxing their workloads. An average of five to seven projects of ranging complexity is recommended for a quarter. When you have too many open projects, you are more likely to compromise the quality of work or drop the ball on something.
Review the number of current active and pending projects on your list before deciding to take on additional initiatives.
4. Determine what is urgent and important.
Timing and impact often drive what gets our attention. A rush request may take precedence over other projects. So be sure to qualify a rush request.
Consider what will happen if the project is not completed by the requested day? Who is impacted? How severe is the impact?
Honing your skills to identify what is nice-to-do versus what you must do, will improve your ability to set priorities. Important projects align with moving forward your vision and mission. The impact to your results and success is clear.
5. Identify what can de delegated or delayed.
Remember you have the option of saying no, not me or not now. Projects can be delegated to someone with the current capacity or more equipped for the task at hand. Projects can be delayed once you have determined that is not urgent.
6. Create a work plan.
A work plan is a simple strategy to focus on your priorities and get work done. Work plans can be quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. When creating a weekly work plan, identify your weekly priorities and what days you will focus on each priority.
Create time blocks on your calendar to prevent meetings or other activities from consuming your attention.
7. Review your progress.
A daily review is a good starting point. At the end of your day, compare your actual progress against your planned progress. Record your successes, setbacks and growth opportunities.
Adjust your plan as needed to remain on course with achieving your top priorities. Your daily reviews can be chunked up into weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews.
Which of these tips will you use to improve your productivity? Please share your thoughts in the comments section, I’d love to hear from you.
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