First Things First: Prioritization

Community Manager — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:57:00 GMT

In real estate the mantra is "location, location, location" but in our busy work world the words to live by are "prioritize, prioritize, prioritize." Too many tasks and not enough time to do them is a common complaint in the 24/7 world of work. The ability to prioritize - that is to assess your to-do list and triage the most pressing, vital tasks - is a must-have survival skill.

Worried your prioritizing skills aren't up to snuff? Read on for the basics on putting first things first.

At the most basic level, prioritizing can be based on time constraints, potential profitability/benefit, or on the consequences of not completing a task.

Time-constraints:

Determine if a project can be put off or if there's a deadline that can't be missed. Assess how long will it take to do each project and determine if it makes sense to tackle the shortest projects first.

Potential upside:

Consider if certain projects likely to be more beneficial or profitable. Tackling a project that generates the most revenue may make sense or tackling a smaller project for a bigger client may pay long-term dividends. Assess the upside of completing each item on your to-do list.

Consequences:

Examine your to-do list and determine the consequences of not getting to a certain action item. If the fall-out would be major if a project is unfinished, that item moves up the priority list. No one will notice a task is incomplete? That item has low-priority.

For more thoughts on prioritizing, read Harvard Business Review blogger Peter Bregman's A Better Way to Manage Your To-Do List and Work Smart: Do Your Worst Task First (Or, Eat a Live Frog Every Morning).

How do you prioritize your work? Does taking the time to prioritize make you more or less efficient? Share your thoughts here or at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

by Candie Harris

Stop Procrastinating Now!

Community Manager — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:34:00 GMT

English humorist Douglas Adams once joked "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Easy to make jokes when being funny is your job but at most workplaces procrastination is no laughing matter. Time is valuable; if we spend it putting off important tasks, it's doubly-wasted.

So let's jump right in. Are you a procrastinator?

We all know what procrastination looks like: putting off until tomorrow what we should do today. Yet some forms of procrastination are more subtle. Often we busy ourselves with small tasks rather than tackling high priority jobs.

Do you ever:

Sit down to a critical task and immediately get side-tracked?
Say yes to unimportant tasks that distract you from high priority items?
Read e-mails several times without taking action?

If you answered yes (like I did) to any of those, you are a procrastinator. Need help determining if you're a major or a minor procrastinator? Mind Tools has a helpful Are You a Procrastinator? quiz.

Why People Procrastinate

Recognizing you are a procrastinator is the first step in tackling the why-do-today-what-you-can-put-off-until-tomorrow attitude that derails productivity and decision-making.

So why procrastinate? Common reasons include:

Disorganization
Reluctance to tackle what is perceived as unpleasant or difficult
Absence of strong decision making skills
Fear of failure (perfectionists take note: this is most often your concern)

For a more in-depth look at the emotional and psychological reasons people procrastinate, we've collected some useful articles:

Beating Procrastination: Manage Your Time. Get It All Done
Procrastination. How to Spot It. How to Stop It. Http

Tips to Stop Procrastinating

Now to the good stuff. How to stop procrastinating once and for all.

To begin, set the stage. Visualize the unpleasant consequences of not doing the task. Empower others to check up on you; positive peer pressure is a motivating force. Once you've set up your stick, be sure to find your carrot. Reward yourself for accomplishing goals. What I have found is thinking about all the things I have to do causes 'mental stress', which magically disappears once the task is done!

Get Organized, Get Going

Keep a prioritized to-do list
Schedule your tasks and your time
Break projects into manageable pieces, do it step-by step
Give yourself realistic deadlines, reward yourself for meeting them
Tackle tough jobs first; they might be less unpleasant then you feared
Overhaul your decision-making skills if you can't decide what to do first.
Practice your anti-procrastination techniques. It'll get easier.

Looking for more tips? We've collected some terrific resources:

It's Never Too Late to Stop Procrastinating. WebMD
How to Stop Procrastinating Now. Entreprneur.com
The Knowing-Doing Gap: How to Stop Procrastinating. Oprah.com

So kick the procrastination habit for good. What are you waiting for?

Do you have road-tested anti-procrastination tips to share? How do you motivate yourself to tackle tough projects? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Candie Harris

Beyond Folders : prioritization

First Things First: Prioritization

Stop Procrastinating Now!