Does everything on your to-do list feel urgent and important? Does listing all your tasks feel overwhelming and counterproductive?
Prioritization is amongst the most important of the executive function skills. Organizing tasks based on their importance asks us to keep the big picture in mind, and not lose the forest for the trees. The effectiveness of our prioritizing depends on the sharpness (or dullness) of our other executive functions, like time management and organization. Even with a plan in place, we still may need to pivot and undo what’s on our priority list as life comes our way.
If prioritizing feels difficult for you, that’s because it is – for all of us! Try not to beat yourself up; instead, follow these strategies to help make prioritizing more intuitive and to harness this skill to increase your productivity, reduce stress, and streamline your life.
How to Get Better at Prioritizing
Get clear about your objectives
Often lost in the prioritizing craze are our short- and long-term goals. When faced with ranking a task, ask yourself: How does it align with my goals and what I want for my day/week/month/life? This question will also help you learn to say no so you can protect your time.
Prioritize by impact and/or effort
The popular Eisenhower Matrix asks us to prioritize based on urgency and importance, but this isn’t the only framework available. Consider prioritizing based on impact, for example. How bad would it be if you didn’t do this task? Are the consequences immediate, or can you buy yourself time?
[Free Prioritizing Tool: The Eisenhower Matrix for ADHD Decision-Making]
Effort is another method to support prioritizing. Which task will take the longest or is most challenging? Doing the hard stuff first works for many, but getting the easy stuff out of the way can help you get in the zone. (Though beware of emotion-driven prioritizing – doing what feels most interesting or rewarding rather than what’s most important.)
Put it on your calendar to make it real
Execution, not prioritization, is often the reason our plans fall apart. We can do a great job at prioritizing our tasks, only to have those tasks remain on a list with no real “when and where” attached to them. To solve this, schedule your to-dos.
Ensure prioritization is the issue, rather than motivation
Are you confusing difficulty prioritizing with difficulty initiating tasks? The most sophisticated prioritizing and planning tools won’t help you if motivation remains the real challenge. Once you have a priority list outlined, take a moment to think of how you’ll initiate and maintain motivation for a given task. That can look like taking smaller steps, talking through the task (or providing updates) with an accountability partner, and working in short bursts.
Expect to review and adjust your priorities
Prioritizing is a never-ending practice that is highly context-dependent and requires significant cognitive flexibility. (No two people will share the same priority list, even if their lives look similar!) Adjusting your priority list doesn’t mean you failed – it’s how prioritizing works. At the start and end of each day, review your list and change priorities as needed. Regularly review your long-term goals and adjust those priorities, too.
How to Prioritize Tasks: Next Steps
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Nathaly Pesantez
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