6 Tips To Prioritizing Tasks When Everything Seems Important

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. ~ Dallin H. Oaks (Tweet this)

At the end of the day, many always-busy urbanites often feel that they have done actually nothing. What does that mean? It happens, for example, when there are loads of tasks to be done and you get overwhelmed with the to-do list and lose track of your priorities. Prioritizing tasks is often overlooked because it can seem like just another chore added to your already full list. Don’t skip it. Prioritizing is a make-or-break skill.

Tips to help in prioritizing tasks

It’s essential to prioritize tasks to get them accomplished—even more so when every task is important. If you follow some simple rules for prioritizing tasks, you can emerge a winner when it comes to accomplishing tasks. Read up on a few of our tips to help you out.

1. Create a to-do-list and keep it updated

Of course, having a to-do list is very important as it gives you an idea about your tasks. Just a glance at this list keeps you on your toes. However, keep this list updated and cross things off when you complete them.

2. Urgent or important? Determine their priority

The tasks in your list can be urgent or important or both! You see, all the urgent tasks are not always important. I’ll explain. Important tasks are those which bring you closer to your goal while urgent tasks are those which need to be done “NOW” but may not be important. So identify which are important tasks for you. However, there can be urgent important tasks as well… So make them a priority. Those who do not prioritize, always stay super busy yet still they are not satisfied with their performance and achievement.

Life is short. Focus on what matters most; you should change your priorities over time. ~ Roy T. Bennett (Tweet this)

3. Be realistic and set achievable goals

Setting achievable goals is the key to success. If you try to achieve too much in too little time it will leave you stressed and discouraged. Set your aim, draw a realistic plan and apply it strictly. Do not try to accomplish everything in a day. Stay calm and keep time for unwinding also. As the saying goes “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

4. Keep it flexible

When you first create your plans, you have space for any new task hitting your desk that is of high importance. Being too strict can lead to demoralization and discontent. It will affect your efficiency and slow down your activity. So instead of planning every time something new arrives, create your initial plan with enough space to accommodate new things.

6. Set deadlines and follow them

Setting deadlines for a task according to its value and importance is essential. For instance, if you spend 70% of your time on a task that is worth 5% of the entire project, what will you do for the rest of the project that is of worth 95%? So, set deadlines to manage your time well and to achieve the most. Moreover, working according to deadlines will help keep your stress levels down as you will accomplish as per your plan.

Reviewing your priorities regularly is important as it helps keep a watch on your important tasks and that brings you closer to your aims.