Tweet

How to Prioritize

Written by: Donald F. Pooley

Article Overview: To prioritize, first categorize your intended activities according to just two aspects: importance and urgency.

How to Prioritize

To prioritize, first categorize your intended activities according to just two aspects: importance and urgency.
* Category A is important and urgent.
* Category B is important but not urgent.
* Category C is not important but urgent. This can be a trap, because the urgency inflates its apparent importance.
* Category D is neither important nor urgent, e.g. cleaning drawers, straightening files, etc.
By categorizing your intended activities like this, you've also prioritized them, because you now complete Category A activities first, then B, and C. If you never get to the D jobs, what has been lost?
Activities can change their urgency as time passes, so it's important to review and revise your categories each day.
Milton R. Stohl

Related Articles
  Questions, Jeopardy Style
  Time Management Priorities
  Five Tips for a Smoother, More Efficient Tax Time
  Get More Focus and Get More Business
  Make Time for Balance

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Management Processes? - Great question Aaron. Like you and Kevin have indicated, we can get a lot done by creating a management process. I like to: Prioritize what I need to do in order of importance. Pick the top priority item. Brainstorm possible tasks. Pick a task and complete it. Move on to the next task. I find this helps break things down into manageable pieces. It also helps just to take small actions. [Link removed by forum admin]
Starting a New Business - I think [b]magonaga [/b]identified one of the most important ingredients for starting a new business in its simplest terms...."[b]Sheer bloody tenacious determination[/b]". The only thing that I would add to this is the need for a plan. There are many methodologies for planning, but I believe that the most effective is also the simplest. [list=] Step back from the excitement and anxiety, close your eyes and visualize your goal Identify all of the ingredients (e.g. office/store, legal paperwork, contracts, products) that you need to make your vision a reality Identify all of the ingredients that you need to get the previous ingredients (equipment, training, partnerships, mentors, marketing materials) Prioritize all of the ingredients Sketch out a timeline for how all of these ingredients come together to achieve your goal Execute the timeline...with a liberal dose of magonaga's advice [/list] When all is said and done in the realm of planning, take heed of Dwight D. Eisenhower's advice "Plans are nothing. Planning is everything". Even though your timeline may not go as planned, the fact that you devoted the time towards planning will help you understand the impacts of changes to your plan and react more effectively to unforeseen events. May God bless you in your endeavors!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You An Accidental Consultant?

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Log On

Business Coach Explains To You How To Add Value

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.