Do you ever face that question? You’ve made a task list and prioritized it (though some of the items on the list will take 30 days to build or write or make, while others will be over in one simple phone call), but even as you stare at this list, your email inbox is kind of nagging at you, badgering you to chip away at those 142 messages. Which do you tackle first? How does one decide whether or not to go do 10 emails, tackle the phone call, or split the 30-day project into bite-size chunks then tackle the first chunk? What’s YOUR rationale for figuring out what to work on next? (Please — click comment after the web version of this item. We’re eager to hear your input.)
I am a work in progress, but in front of me is a chart I got from a management book somewhere, which prioritizes tasks into four categories and I find it helpful:
URGENT, IMPORTANT, NECESSARY, WANT IT. Using it as a white board, I can erase and add tasks as needed, under each heading.
Of course there is always a ‘fire to be put out’ that reshuffles priorities, or maybe a lack of electricity that hampers Plan A, but at least it’s a start.