You have multiple deadlines and don't know where to start. What's the best way to prioritize tasks?

1 Assess your situation

The first step to prioritize your tasks is to assess your current situation and identify all the deadlines you have to meet. You can use a calendar, a spreadsheet, or a project management tool to list down all the tasks, their due dates, their importance, and their estimated time to complete. This will help you get a clear overview of your workload and see which tasks are urgent, important, or both.

2 Use a prioritization method

The next step is to use a prioritization method to rank your tasks according to their urgency and importance. There are various methods you can use, such as the Eisenhower matrix, the ABCDE method, or the Pareto principle. The main concept is to categorize your tasks into four groups: those that are urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. Tasks that are urgent and important should be done first as they have the highest impact on your goals and the highest consequences if you miss them; for example, a task that has a tight deadline, a high value, or a high risk. Tasks that are important but not urgent should be scheduled for later since they have a high impact on your goals but not on your deadlines; for instance, a task that involves planning, research, or learning. Tasks that are urgent but not important should be delegated or outsourced since they have a low impact on your goals but a high impact on your deadlines; for instance, a task that involves routine, administrative, or low-skill work. Finally, tasks that are neither urgent nor important should be eliminated or minimized since they have a low impact on both your goals and your deadlines; for example, a task that involves distractions, interruptions, or time-wasters.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?