How to Prioritize Tasks at Work

When you start your workday, it can be hard to know where to start and how to prioritize your time. And without a game plan, you can waste time as you fumble through tasks or get distracted by unimportant requests. This can lead to unnecessary stress or even working late more often than necessary to get everything done. (If you struggle with this, you must read this article about Setting and Maintaining Boundaries.)

When it comes to staying productive and prioritizing your time, I suggest you ask yourself four questions.?

The first to consider is:?

Who is making this request??

When someone asks you to do something, it can be tempting to drop what you are doing and immediately complete the task. Prioritizing tasks that are not important eats away at your day and your productivity as you are focusing on tasks that are not urgent.?

This is why it is important to stop and think about who is asking you to do this task. Is it coming from your manager? Or a colleague? Or maybe a work group??

This isn’t to say the only tasks that matter come from your manager or your manager’s manager- but it is a helpful factor in determining whether you need to clear your afternoon or it can be completed later this week.?

So with that in mind, the next thing to consider is:??

What is the request??

Is this a quick task? Is it attending a meeting? Does it impact businesses or the customer experience? Understanding what you will actually have to do is crucial when it comes to prioritizing your tasks for the day or the week.?

If the request is along the lines of attending a meeting that will take up valuable time, maybe that is something you can say right away is not high priority nor urgent. That means sometimes, you will have to say no. But remember, it’s not really about the ‘no’ and more about prioritizing what is important. If you have a hard time with this, my article about Saying No at Work goes into more detail.?

If it is a task that directly impacts the customer experience, you may determine right away that that request is urgent and a high priority for you to complete.?

When you get the request, before you go into “get it done” mode, a critical question to ask is:?

Is this a request I should handle or delegate?

Yes, being a team player is important, but it’s equally important to delegate tasks to the rightful owner. When you intercept tasks meant for the rightful lead you can end up creating more confusion than intended. Also, if you don’t have the adequate level of knowledge and insight on the request, you will likely spend more time on it - causing you unnecessary frustration and potential delays for those who are depending on you to complete the tasks.?

The key is to be thoughtful about what tasks are truly an important part of your job, versus treating everything as an urgent task.?

Once you know who is making the request and what task(s) you must complete, the next factor to consider is:?

When does it need to be completed??

This is very important to know when a request is being made. When you don’t know the deadline to complete tasks, every request can feel like it needs to be done RIGHT NOW. However a lot of times, that isn’t really the case.

If the person that made the request did not clarify when they need it done, don’t be afraid to ask them. All it takes is a quick email or conversation to clarify when it needs to be done.?

For example, is it a time-sensitive situation? Does it need to be done before next week’s meeting? Or next month’s launch? Get as specific as possible, because “when you have the chance” or “ASAP” can mean different things to different people. Having the day and time that the task needs to be completed goes a long way in clearly prioritizing your tasks for the week. Then, when you know something is truly urgent, you can make it a high priority.?

The information you get by looking at WHO is asking, WHAT they are asking for, IF you need to do it, and WHEN they need it will help make it easier to prioritize your time. It will be quicker and easier to plan your week and you will feel much more clear and in control about your tasks for each day.

Thanks for reading this article! I'm Velera Wilson, a global speaker,?author,?and consultant on a mission to help women own their worth and increase workplace confidence so they advance their careers and thrive as leaders. Submit speaking inquiries at?www.velerawilson.com, get a copy of my book,?You're Absolutely Worth It, or connect with me on?Twitter.