Task Prioritization Methods

"I need this ASAP." Translation: They needed it five minutes ago. If you’ve worked with a high-performing executive, you know the drill. Urgent requests drop in out of nowhere, and the clock is already ticking. So how do you handle it without losing your mind? ✓ Pause. Prioritize. Not everything is a true emergency. Ask: What’s the actual deadline? What’s the impact? ✓ Communicate expectations. If it’s truly urgent, give a realistic timeline: "I can have this in 20 minutes—will that work?" ✓ Leverage resources. Delegate. Automate. Find a shortcut. Speed doesn’t mean doing it alone. ✓ Stay calm. Your executive’s stress doesn’t have to become your stress. Stay composed, move fast, and execute with confidence. High-pressure moments are part of the job—but handling them well is what makes you indispensable. What’s your best strategy for dealing with last-minute requests? Drop it in the comments! ------------------ Hi, I’m Colleen. The EA behind the curtain, ensuring CEOs thrive without breaking a sweat. Follow for more.

I get asked a lot by people, "Ryan, how do you manage all these different projects?" It isn't easy and I am not perfect at it, but you can climb the highest mountain by taking one step at a time. 10 Tips for Mastering Multi-Tasking Like a Pro 🚀 1️⃣ Prioritize Your Tasks 📝 Start with high-impact tasks first. Use the Eisenhower Matrix (urgent vs. important) to decide what needs immediate attention. 2️⃣ Use Time Blocking ⏳ Dedicate specific time slots for different tasks. Avoid context-switching by grouping similar activities together. 3️⃣ Leverage Technology 📲 Use productivity tools like Trello, Asana, or Notion to organize tasks and track progress efficiently. 4️⃣ Set Clear Deadlines ⏰ Give yourself a time limit for each task. Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available—keep deadlines tight! 5️⃣ Master the 2-Minute Rule ⚡ If a task takes less than 2 minutes to complete, do it immediately instead of adding it to your to-do list. 6️⃣ Limit Distractions 🚫📵 Silence notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and use focus apps like Freedom or Forest to stay in the zone. 7️⃣ Batch Similar Tasks Together 🔄 Answer emails in one go, make all phone calls at once, and schedule social media updates in bulk instead of spreading them throughout the day. 8️⃣ Use the Pomodoro Technique 🍅 Work in focused 25-minute intervals followed by short breaks. This helps maintain energy and prevents burnout. 9️⃣ Learn to Delegate 🙌 If someone else can handle a task better or faster, delegate it. Free up time for high-value work. 🔟 Take Breaks & Recharge 🌿 Multi-tasking can drain mental energy. Step away, stretch, hydrate, or take a walk to refresh your mind before diving back in. ✅ Bonus Tip: Focus on progress over perfection—multi-tasking isn’t about doing everything at once but managing tasks efficiently without sacrificing quality! #Productivity #TimeManagement #Efficiency #WorkSmarter #Multitasking

Rock, Paper(cuts), Both… Go! We've all seen this scenario: a promising product faltering due to countless minor issues (death by 1,000 paper cuts). But this creates a tricky dilemma for founding product teams. Do you allocate your limited resources to creating differentiated features, or fixing the numerous friction points your nascent product has? Unfortunately, there's no simple answer (unless GPT-5 can solve it for us, jk jk). The reality is that founding teams must invest in both areas. An unusable, differentiated product is as doomed as a flawless, undifferentiated one. At emdash, we’re tackling this dilemma head-on. Here are some tools we find helpful in prioritizing both significant features and minor fixes: 1) Get customer feedback early and often. 2) Establish a framework for distinguishing must-fix vs. nice-to-fix issues. 3) Stay focused on the big picture. ➝ First, customer feedback. Nothing reveals issues faster than watching a new customer struggle with your product. It’s easy for product teams to become desensitized to their own product, so regular fresh eyes are crucial for identifying blind spots. It can be eye-opening (and sometimes embarrassing) to explain to a new customer how to accomplish a core task. If you find yourself adding caveats or apologizing, you have work to do! For example, at emdash, we realized we needed better onboarding support after repeatedly struggling to explain the process to customers. This prompted us to prioritize improving onboarding and team management features. ➝ Second, establish a framework for distinguishing must-fix vs. nice-to-fix issues. This is actually more about enabling fast decision making than uncovering absolute truth. Create a framework that allows team members to make prioritization decisions independently. Avoid endless debates about minor issues. Instead, equip your team with a framework that fosters strong intuition for quick decisions. Aim for ~80% accuracy across the team, prioritizing speed. At emdash, our prioritization framework involves this decision tree: • Could this issue shatter customer confidence in the product? If yes, fix asap. • Could this issue induce customer churn? If yes, fix asap (assuming it’s the right kind of customer). • Could resolving this issue unlock a new priority use case? If yes, fix asap. • Otherwise, queue the issue for future review. Customer impact is always the key dimension for prioritization. → Third, eyes on the big picture. In the face of customer feedback and papercut prioritization frameworks, it can be easy to lose sight of the big rocks. Schedule regular team meetings to keep these rocks in focus. Write them down to make them more concrete. At emdash, we find a monthly cadence works well. And where do we publish and discuss our monthly goals? In emdash, of course! How does your team think about rocks vs papercuts?

Do you and your team struggle with competing priorities? Regardless of your role, business leader or practitioner, over the years I've learned that no matter the company, industry, start-up or enterprise, we have too many strategic initiatives and it gets in the way of focus and progress. 😤 What creates distraction from what we truly need to accomplish is: ✅ New TRENDS, TERMS, and TECH TOYS! ✅ There's more work than resources & funding. This creates DRIFT ✅ As things drift, we experience a lag with closure, resulting in FATIGUE ✅ As fatigue sets in, we forget our original PURPOSE and we digress. The cycle then repeats and it feels like an endless loop of projects without proper closure and celebrations. While this won't solve everything, it'll be a good start. It's worked for me in the past: ✍ Create a list of all the things that's requiring your time or the teams time ✍ Tag them as H (high value), M (medium value), L (low value) [you choose how you define value. For me I've used loose rules like "Is it aligned with our priorities and the companies mission? Keep it simple] ✍ Anything of H & M keep, anything tagged as L think about how to offload. [It may require a talk with your boss to say these lower value activities are distracting the team from the high-value activities, is there a way to delegate to de-prioritize? OR. It may require a discussion about constrained resources and budget, and how to best prioritize efforts so you can apply resources accordingly] ✍ Always prioritize resources and funding to the H's, and whatever is left over to the M's. [When asked about progress on the M's, you say the team is doing the best it can with the workload of the higher priority times. If things need to progress faster, its a good idea to discuss capacity & funding] ✍ When someone asks you to do something else, DO NOT immediately say 'YES'. [You say "I know the work is important and it needs to get done, I want to help. let me assess the teams capacity & bandwidth so I can get back to you with realistic timeframes to make sure its acceptable for you", or. something like that] ✍ Watch out for your own issues with over committing. Be reasonable about what you can and cannot accomplish in a 50-70 hour week. [Sorry I can't help those who have a 40 hour work weeks, never had that 😢] More to come ... sign up for my upcoming Newsletter! https://lnkd.in/ejvkkuGi (I'm a practitioner turned C-Suite exec 4x's over and one of the first Chief Data & Chief AI Officers appointed back in 2016. I have a lot of scrapped knees & bruised elbows to share). 

First-time leaders: You're handling your manager's requests wrong by saying YES to everything. ⁣⁣ Every time you automatically agree to a task, you're setting yourself up for later problems: - Strategic priorities get diluted - Revenue-generating projects get delayed - Quality of execution suffers The way I respond to requests is fundamentally different. There's a difference between saying 'No, I can't' which means 'I've done no work, I'm too lazy to think about it... vs taking the hard path and coming up with a solution. Here's what effective leadership looks like: 1️⃣ Clarify the business impact: "I can do this, but here's what's going to get moved” Or “Here's what I can do without moving anything, but it'll be reduced scope." 2️⃣ Connect to objectives: Think through the ask - how does it relate to the overall company goals we're trying to achieve versus what's on your plate? Your manager might think they're asking for a quick 5-minute task when it's a mountain of work! They won't see this unless you show the full picture of your current priorities and bandwidth. ⁣⁣ This approach prevents three common failures: (1) Putting everything on your list until burnout (2) Doing each thing poorly (making you look bad) (3) Missing critical revenue opportunities. Share below: what’s your no. 1 priority for this quarter? 

I'm excited to share my system for staying productive all day, every day. This system allowed me to sell over $100M in my B2B sales career, then build a 7 figure coaching business working an average of 40 hours/week. Most importantly, my nights and weekends are free to spend with my family. Here's are the 3 simple steps I take every single week: Step 1: Complete a Weekly Plan & Scorecard at the beginning of each week On Monday mornings (or Sunday evening), I print and fill out a Weekly Plan & Scorecard. On this document, I write down all the important tasks and action items I aspire to get done that week in no particular order. I then rank each task in order of priority, typically prioritizing RGA's (Revenue Generating Activities) for my business. I originally took this scorecard from a book called the 12 Week Year, then adapted it to include a "Rank" column, which allows me to prioritize each action item. Prioritizing the Action Items allows me to know where to start every day, and prevents me from getting overwhelmed. Step 2: Daily Task Blocking in Calendar Whitespace At the beginning of each weekday, I fill up all the whitespace on my calendar for that day with high priority tasks taken directly from the Weekly Plan & Scorecard. This ensures that the most important tasks for the week get done first and eliminates daily decision fatigue. The key is to put the specific tasks on your calendar so there's no empty space. If for some reason any tasks on the calendar don't get completed for that day, I move them to the next day in any open whitespace. Step 3: Weekly Scoring At the end of each week, I score my performance using the simple formula: Tasks Completed / Tasks Written Down = Score % My goal is to score 85% or higher each week, although admittedly there are many weeks where I fall short. If there are any tasks that didn't get completed that week, they get moved to the following week. I rinse and repeat this process every single week. This ensures that I SHOW UP every single day, and stay productive throughout the entire work week. Additional keys to success include: 1. Taking short breaks when you feel mentally drained. Stretching, a short walk, and standing desk do wonders to change your state. 2. Minimize the number of daily meetings on your calendar (4 or less is optimal) to stay focused and ensure you have enough whitespace to get deep work done. 3. Give yourself an hour lunch to break up the work day. Every day I have lunch with my wife, and that's also on the calendar. 4. Do one thing at a time 5. If you have an unproductive day, forgive yourself. Of course, this is all easier said than done... That's why next week, in our 2nd *Transformation Tuesday* LIVE training session, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to leverage The 12 Week Year (and Weekly Scorecard) to transform your productivity and your life. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gsPsq2XR Only 500 spots available due to Zoom webinar limit!

Are you short-staffed? Talking to clients, hiring workers is still challenging right now. I don't know if that will get any better anytime soon. Process improvement methods like Lean and Six Sigma can help identify and reduce waste in a process, so that you don't have to hire as many new people. More work can be done in the same amount of time with the existing resources without extra effort. The false assumption is that you simply make people work harder, or put more on their plate. That is not the correct way. Try this approach instead. 1) Verify if task is value added - Review each task and verify with the next step and final customer if that task is actually needed to be done. For example, if you download some data and generate some charts with your report, but no one looks at them or needs them, then you can simply stop doing that task. This is the easiest improvement to make, stop doing things that no one needs or wants (called "non-value added"). Other times you'll find out that only part of the task is needed, so you still need to do it, but it can be done with less effort or time. 2) Verify actual due date - If it is needed by the next process or customer, is it needed right now, or later? Due dates are not the same as need date, so get clarification. It is ideal to wait until the next process or the customer actually needs it (called "Just in Time" or JIT). Sometimes they might not ever need that task done, and luckily you didn't waste any time on it. I call this "smart procrastination." When I get asked to present, I wait until a few days before to develop the slides in case it gets delayed or canceled. This helps ensure you are working on the right things right now, and not working ahead on something not needed at all or not needed right away. Working ahead is a risk and one type of waste called "overproduction." 3) Identify and remove waste - If the task is needed, and it is needed right now, can we identify any other wastes in the process that will make the process go faster? There are 8 common wastes to look for in a process, such as transportation, excess motion, defects/errors, and extra processing (going overboard on the task). If you remove some of these wastes, you can quickly save time as well. Notice that none of these ideas make the person work harder or go faster. Sacrificing the quality of the task is never an option to save time or make improvements. You can go faster and improve quality and make the work less stressful, it is not a trade-off! Learn more about the 8 wastes at https://lnkd.in/gCrtRXpK #lean #sixsigma #efficiency #waste #TPS #leansixsigma #TIMWOODS #DOWNTIME #workershortage #hiring #understaffed

Dear Professionals, Is productivity overrated? Oh, not at all. But you can’t wish it away. You need proven strategies to improve your productivity in the coming year! Before diving into that, let me share a little story. During my undergraduate days, I always multitasked. I combined a part-time home schooling initiative with my academics. In the evenings, I would go to various homes to teach secondary school students compulsory subjects (English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). In no time, more parents showed interest, and to maintain the quality of service, I had to involve other intelligent colleagues. We prepared many of these students for their final exams, and they achieved great success. I was also involved in student politics and had to lead delegations to the vice-chancellor and government for various causes that required advocacy and high-level interventions. Amidst all these activities, I raised funds and organized several health outreaches to underserved communities. I built leadership, organizational, research, and time management skills that helped me succeed as a student. These skills have not only helped me as a professional but have also opened doors and unlocked many opportunities too numerous to mention. But here’s the thing: you need to put systems in place because systems are drivers of productivity. Some systems have worked for me. Have a go at them: 1. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks throughout your day. This helps maintain focus and prevents multitasking, which can reduce productivity. Use tools like Google Calendar to schedule these blocks and stick to them. For instance, dedicate mornings to deep work and afternoons to meetings and emails. 2. The 2-Minute Rule: If a task will take less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and cluttering your to-do list. This hack is particularly useful for quick emails, small administrative tasks, or filing documents. 3. Prioritize with the Eisenhower Matrix: Organize your tasks based on urgency and importance using the Eisenhower Matrix. - Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important (Do immediately) - Quadrant 2: Not Urgent but Important (Schedule for later) - Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important (Delegate if possible) - Quadrant 4: Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate if possible) By focusing on what truly matters and eliminating unnecessary tasks, you can significantly boost your productivity and efficiency. I see you winning in the coming year, 2025. What strategies do you employ to be productive? Feel free to share; iron sharpens iron. A lighted candle doesn’t lose anything by lighting another. Till we all win!

Time Management Insights for Improving Productivity ⏰💡 I have been mentoring several people around the topic of time management. These are some pointers to help you master your time, boost productivity, and achieve more with less stress. 📈 1. Self-Assessment: Track and Analyze Your Time 📊 Track Your Time: For the next two weeks , keep a detailed log of how you spend each hour. There are tools like Toggl or RescueTime to help simplify this process.  I will put link to their sites in the comments. John Jensen also has a spreadsheet he utilizes that is a great framework for sales people. Categorize Activities: Once your log is complete, sort activities into categories such as planning, deal management, prospecting, admin tasks, internal and external meetings, and personal time.  Do you also understand what your high-impact activities are? Evaluate: Reflect on your log. Are you dedicating enough time to high-impact activities? Are personal activities getting the time they deserve? 2. Identify Areas for Improvement 🔍 High-Value vs. Low-Value Tasks: Pinpoint tasks that drive your goals forward. Delegate or eliminate low-value tasks. High-value tasks are often those that only you can do. Time Wasters: Identify activities that consume time without adding value, such as redundant meetings or excessive email checks. 3. Set Clear Priorities 🎯 Define Your Key Responsibilities: Clarify your role and responsibilities. Focus on activities that align with these and have the most significant impact. Goal Setting: Set clear, measurable goals. This will sharpen your focus and help you prioritize and delegate tasks effectively. 4. Improve Delegation 🤝 Identify Delegation Opportunities: Based on your time log and priorities, find tasks that can be handed off, freeing you to focus on high-level strategy. 5. Continuous Improvement 📈 Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins to review your progress, discuss challenges, and adjust strategies as needed. This keeps you accountable and allows for timely adjustments. Personal Insights from My Experience 🌟 When I first started tracking my time, I was amazed at how much of it was spent on low-value tasks. By categorizing and analyzing my activities, I identified key areas for improvement and began delegating tasks that were consuming my time without significant returns. Setting clear priorities and goals was a game-changer, allowing me to focus on high-impact activities and achieve better results. Implementing these steps transformed my productivity, and I'm confident it can do the same for you! 🚀 #TimeManagement #Productivity