How can Volunteer Managers avoid feeling overwhelmed by prioritizing tasks?

1 Identify your goals

Before you start working on your tasks, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and why. What are the goals of your volunteer program, and how do they align with the mission and vision of your organization? What are the specific objectives and outcomes that you need to deliver, and by when? How do they contribute to the impact of your work? Having a clear sense of direction and purpose can help you prioritize your tasks based on their relevance, urgency, and importance.

2 Categorize your tasks

Once you have identified your goals, it's helpful to break them down into smaller and more manageable tasks. You can use different criteria to categorize your tasks, such as the type of task (administrative, operational, strategic, or creative), the time required (short-term or long-term), the complexity (simple or complex, routine or novel, easy or hard), the dependency (independent or dependent on other tasks or people), and the impact (high or low impact, essential or optional, visible or invisible). Categorizing your tasks in this way can help you gain a better understanding of what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and how it fits into the overall plan.

3 Prioritize your tasks

After you have categorized your tasks, you can rank them according to their priority. Different methods such as the Eisenhower matrix, the ABCDE method, and the MoSCoW method can be used to prioritize tasks. The Eisenhower matrix sorts tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. The ABCDE method assigns a letter to each task based on its importance. And the MoSCoW method classifies tasks into four categories based on their necessity. By prioritizing your tasks, you can allocate your time and energy more efficiently and effectively, thus avoiding wasting resources on low-value activities.

4 Schedule your tasks

Once you have prioritized your tasks, you can plan when and how you will do them. To help with this, you can use a variety of tools such as calendars, to-do lists, and project management systems. Calendars are great for organizing tasks by date and time, while to-do lists help you list tasks by priority. A project management system can be used to manage tasks by project and track progress and status. By scheduling your tasks, you can create a plan that is tailored to your work style and preferences, helping you stay on track and accountable.

5 Review your tasks

Finally, you need to review your tasks regularly and adjust them as needed. A daily review helps you reflect on your tasks at the end of each day to evaluate what you have done, not done, and why. On the other hand, a weekly review enables you to assess how you have performed, what you have learned, and what you need to improve. Moreover, a monthly review allows you to measure how you have progressed, what you have accomplished, and what needs to be changed. By regularly reviewing your tasks, you can monitor your performance and productivity and make informed decisions to improve your work quality and satisfaction.

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?