Tip of the Week: Key Questions to Ask While Prioritizing Tasks

During the workday, many of us have tasks that just seem to pile up and all seem to be given the same level of priority. However, if you want to accomplish anything effectively, you need to be able to identify the importance of your tasks and prioritize them accordingly. Let’s go over some tips to keep in mind as you do so.

Identify Your Tasks and Note Their Value

It seems safe to say that you want to make the most of the time you spend each day, so there is some value in investing some of your allotted time to determining how the rest should be distributed amongst your priorities.

There are a few effective means of establishing this that could be especially useful to consolidate into your processes:

What Will Completing a Task Result In?

When you set out to organize your tasks, you should first establish which of your tasks will net the biggest benefits overall. Which will help you advance the furthest toward achieving your goals? Which will ultimately allow you to accomplish the most? Which will allow the rest of your team to be as productive as possible?

Naturally, the line items that demonstrate the largest potential gains should be the ones that are placed at the top of the list.

How Long Has a Task Been on Your Radar?

If you’ve been mulling over a task for a while or have been actively putting one off (don’t worry, we won’t tell), it’s probably time to push it to the front of the queue. This is particularly the case if the latter rational is involved. Whether the task is projected to be challenging, grating, whatever your reason for holding back may be, it will likely be more useful to get it out of the way.

If a Task Isn’t Pressing, Will Resolving It Allow You to Progress Elsewhere?

Alternatively, perhaps a task isn’t particularly important as compared to some others… although it may be a step on the way to accomplishing one of your more critical ones. In these cases, it may be more beneficial to prioritize it and get it done. If possible, these kinds of tasks are the ones you may also consider delegating to someone else, provided you have the authority to do so.

How Have You Organized Your Tasks in the Past?

Share some of your tips with us in the comments! For more IT assistance and best practices, make sure you keep checking back with BNMC. Give us a call at (978) 482-2020 with any of your technology questions.