How do you prioritize your tasks when working online?

1 Assess your goals

Before you start working on any task, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and why. What are your short-term and long-term goals? How do they align with your values, vision, and mission? How do they support your personal and professional growth? Write down your goals and review them regularly to keep yourself focused and motivated.

3 Prioritize your tasks

After you have categorized your tasks, you need to prioritize them according to their value and impact. The ABCDE method is a simple way to do this, assigning a letter to each task based on its importance. A tasks are the most important and must be done first, as they have the highest positive or negative consequences. This can include meeting a deadline, delivering a presentation, or resolving a conflict. B tasks are important but not as critical as A tasks, with moderate positive or negative consequences. C tasks are nice to do but not essential and have low or no positive or negative consequences. D tasks can be delegated to someone else who can do them better, faster, or cheaper, freeing up your time and energy for more important tasks. Lastly, E tasks should be eliminated or avoided as they have no value or benefit for you or your goals.

4 Schedule your tasks

Once you have prioritized your tasks, scheduling them into your calendar or planner is essential. The time blocking technique can be useful for this, as it involves allocating a specific time slot for each task and sticking to it. This helps to prevent multitasking, procrastination and overcommitment. When using the time blocking technique, it's advisable to start with A tasks and work down to E tasks. Additionally, estimating how long each task will take and adding some buffer time for unexpected delays or issues is important. Grouping similar or related tasks together can create a flow and avoid switching costs. It's also important to block out some time for breaks, meals, and self-care. Finally, review your schedule at the end of each day and adjust it as needed.