desk with notebook and computer

Did you know?

In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown points out that the word “priority” was once only used in the singular form. It was during the industrial revolution that the word was pluralized. Suddenly, there were “priorities”. It’s no wonder we get overwhelmed. We have multiple things clamoring for the title of “most important,” when we can’t possibly do more than one thing at the same time.

Macro Priorities

When it comes to the big picture, I think we all know what’s important. Torah, doing the right thing, our families, the people in our lives.

I think most of us get stuck more often in the micro decisions. Do I answer the email, or finish the project? Do I switch the load of laundry, or do I make the phone call? Do I run the errand, or take a nap? There’s a lot to do, so what comes first? (I vote for the nap.)

Let’s run through a few practical tips on how to prioritize tasks on an ordinary day.

weekly planner

Micro Priorities

When you don’t know what to do next, take a deep breath and run through the following steps:

  1. Is there an emergency? Ask yourself if any of the tasks at hand are an emergency. This doesn’t have to be a real emergency. It can also be something that’s very pressing – a fast-approaching deadline, a crying child, even a big spill. Tackle that first.
  2. Make a list. Once you’ve taken care of any emergencies, clarify what still needs to be done. So often we get overwhelmed and our brains scramble around to remember we need to do. Putting your tasks down on paper with make the jumble in your head clear and concrete.
  3. Focus on what’s important and/or urgent. Once you have your list, make note of the items that are important/urgent. Everything else on your lists can wait for a different time. You can even move the unimportant/non-urgent tasks to a different list, or cross them out entirely.
  4. Ask the following questions:
    Take a look at what’s left on your list. At this point, you might be more clear on what you need to do next. But maybe not. You can prioritize the remaining tasks by asking yourself the following questions.
    • What am I capable of doing now?
      There are some tasks that you might not be able to do right now. Maybe you need to be in a certain location, or wait for someone else, etc.
    • What do I have time for?
    • What do I have energy for?

This process doesn’t need to take long. As you get used to sorting your tasks this way, you’ll become more comfortable with quickly identifying what needs to happen first, second and third.

In the Long Run

We have a lot of daily input – texts, emails, phone calls, mail, reminder notifications, actual humans talking to us… In the long run, find a system that helps you sort these information and tasks. For me this is my bullet journal. Because a bullet journal is customizable, I choose what my categories of information are and make space for each one in my journal.

If I make an appointment, it goes on the calendar page. If I get an email from a client, the task goes on my weekly task list. If I get an idea for a future project, it goes on my ideas page. Everything has a place, so I know where to find it when I’m looking for it.

To learn more about how to start a bullet journal and customize it to fit your needs, check out the Bullet Journal Basics course!