Prioritizing Tasks


Prioritizing tasks is an integral part of bettering your life. It’s normal to find ourselves not accomplishing goals due to poor prioritization; to get so busy yet not achieve targets. That said, it’s important to remember that projects are not equal – some are urgent, others are important, and some are unimportant.

Learning what to do, delegate and disregard is the first step towards achieving set goals. This article will discuss how to set priorities in your work and personal life.

Nobody’s life is ever all balanced. It’s a conscious decision to choose your priorities every day.” – Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Why is Prioritizing Tasks Important?

Failing to prioritize tasks is like starting a journey without any apparent destination in mind. So, why is it important to prioritize tasks?

  • It helps you get things done on time: Everyone has things to do at almost all times. Most tasks are time-bound, and a lack of a clear plan can result in you being late on deadlines. Prioritizing projects will help you determine what needs handling first. Imagine forgetting an eye checkup or meeting with your therapist because you failed to establish a to-do list.
  • Prioritizing tasks eliminates procrastination: Arranging your to-do list based on urgency and importance will help you avoid procrastination. 
  • It helps get rid of unimportant tasks: Everyone should strive to remove those unimportant tasks out of the way. If the project isn’t categorized as either urgent or important, it’s time to disregard it altogether. You will be surprised how much time you will have for yourself afterward.
  • Minimizes pressure: Have you sometimes felt that you have so much to do but not enough time to do it? You aren’t alone, as most people struggle with the stress of having so much work. Giving specific tasks priority over others will help you determine what to handle first while the less important tasks can wait.
  • Better productivity: Prioritizing helps you achieve more by giving you more control over your time. It also enables you to meet deadlines so that you don’t have to get into trouble with your superiors at work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will prioritizing help you lead your life?

Setting priorities in life will help you focus on the most important things and not waste time on things that don’t add value to your life.

What does prioritizing tasks mean?

Prioritizing tasks means getting unimportant things out of the way to have enough time to work on the important ones.

What is an example of priority?

One example of a priority is picking your child from school at a particular time instead of catching up with some friends. Priorities differ from person to person but what should matter most is a task that is urgent to your circumstance.

Is putting yourself first selfish?

No, it’s not selfish to have yourself as a priority. You cannot please others if you aren’t happy. Before doing anything, constantly evaluate whether it makes you happy.

7 Tips on Prioritizing Tasks

Prioritizing tasks can be daunting for most people. Here are practical ways to set priorities either at work or at home.

Write Down all the Tasks

As the adage goes, “There is power in writing.” The first step towards setting your priorities right is to list down all you need to do. You can always adjust your to-do list as you evolve in your career or family life. However, some things remain constant such as bills.

Consider the Weight of all Tasks

Now that you have a list of what you consider important matters, you need to get down to prioritizing tasks. This may seem like the most challenging part of setting priorities because we think some things are important when they’re actually not. If you can be honest with yourself, this will be a straightforward process. You only need to rank the tasks based on their importance.

Utilize Days when you are Most Productive

Some people are more productive in the morning, while others are night owls. Consider handling the most important projects when you’re most active. It also helps to handle the most difficult tasks during your productive hours. For example, if you find documenting and filing reports the most challenging task, handle it when your mind is entirely focused. Then the other simple tasks you can handle later.

Make Compromises

Prioritizing tasks successfully involves making compromises. Most people don’t take change too well, even though it’s unavoidable. Eventualities are part of life.For instance, you have filing work as a priority in the morning when you get to work. Then, your manager asks you to do something else, and you may feel as though they have interfered with your work schedule. Such scenarios call for making compromises.

Break Down your Goals

Have you found yourself in a situation where you have set a  specific goal but don’t meet it? Don’t worry; most people find themselves in this predicament. It is advisable to break down big goals into sizable projects. For example, you were given a 20 item task list due the following week. Instead of looking at it as just one goal, try breaking them down into smaller groups. You can set 5 tasks to be finished by day 1, 5 for the next day, and so on. This way, the whole assignment wouldn’t feel too heavy.

Set Achievable Targets

It’s good to have ambitious goals but it’s also wise to remain true to yourself. For example, you cannot set a goal to buy a house next month when you don’t even have a job. 

Be Realistic

When setting priorities, it’s essential to be realistic. Setting unrealistic goals will only pressure you— especially when they’re too out of reach. There is only so much we can do within 24 hours. Set priorities that you can achieve considering eventualities that may occur.

Prioritizing tasks can help you eliminate unimportant tasks that take up most of your time. Setting priorities right can help you focus either on your career or personal life and make a noticeable difference within a short time.

Did you find this article informative? Here are other related articles on our blog.

If you want help in achieving a system that helps you prioritize urgency, check out our client service page at eleven recruiting.

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