Simple Steps For Prioritising Your Tasks

I’ve posted previously about ways to help you work through your task list, but how do you know which order to do your tasks in? As a startup founder with very little time and many tasks, it’s key to prioritise your most important ones to ensure your business keeps moving forward.

The first thing I do is create a to-do list. Start by listing all the tasks you need to complete. Having a clear view of your tasks is the first step in choosing what order to do them in.

After creating my list, I use a great tool called the Eisenhower Matrix that helps me prioritise tasks by their urgency and importance.

It’s a simple diagram that allows you to put tasks into four categories:

⚠️ Urgent and Important: These are top-priority tasks that require immediate attention, like deadlines or emergencies.

💡 Important but Not Urgent: These tasks are significant but don’t require immediate action. They are often related to long-term goals, planning, and personal growth.

😵 Urgent but Not Important: These tasks demand immediate attention but may not contribute significantly to your long-term goals. They can include interruptions or distractions. These are some of the worst types of tasks for getting in your way of achieving your goals.

😴 Neither Urgent nor Important: These tasks can be put on the back burner or delegated because they have minimal impact on your goals.

Each of the quadrants on the diagram is associated with an action:

✅ Urgent and important tasks are labelled as “Do First”. Get them put into your diary to do immediately.

📅 Important but not urgent tasks should be labelled as “Schedule” (and don’t forget to schedule them!).

🙋 Urgent but not important tasks should be labelled as “Delegate”, or in some cases, you may just want to push back and say “no”. If it’s not important, does it actually need to be done?

❌ Neither urgent nor important tasks should be tagged as “Don’t Do”, and take them off your list! See, we’re getting rid of tasks already, and we haven’t even started doing them. Whoop whoop!

There are a few other things I consider when looking at my tasks:

❓ Consider Deadlines. If you have looming deadlines, they should often take precedence. But don’t let a task’s urgency overshadow its importance. Sometimes, long-term projects need attention even if there’s no immediate deadline.

❓ Evaluate Impact and Consequences. Think about the potential impact each task has on your goals or the business. Consider the consequences of not completing a task and the benefits of completing it.

❓ Time and Energy Management. Take your own energy levels and the time of day into account. If you’re most productive in the morning, tackle your most critical tasks then. Save routine or less demanding tasks for when your energy dips. My slump is around 3-4pm so I tend to keep that time for admin or fun tasks that are less pressured.

Experiment with different methods and find what works best for you. It’s all about aligning your efforts with your goals and making the most of your time and resources.