A Little Prioritization Goes a Long Way

As business owners, we understand the never-ending litany of things that need to be addressed. It usually goes something like this: We have a plan of what we’re going to do…finally get our marketing content written, or financial records cleaned up, or a plan put together for a new service/product we want to offer. Then…

• Clients or customers have issues

• You realize you have a new employee or contractor starting on Monday and you haven’t set them up in the system yet

• Family situation at home pulls your focus from work

• There’s a problem with unpaid invoices you need to address

• You get pulled into another situation that is requiring your attention

• The list could go on and on…

Next thing you know you’ve reached the end of another week that was super busy, but you didn’t get much crossed off your to-do list.

How do you stop the madness of the urgent and important tasks that need to be done and that come up unexpectedly throughout the week?

The simple answer is prioritization.

The more nuanced answer is still prioritization, but first understanding what is truly urgent and important, versus urgent but can wait a little bit. Here are some questions and things to consider when determining what should be focused on immediately.

1. Does it bring in money? As a business owner turning a profit is your main priority. If the task at hand doesn’t produce income, it may be able to fall down the to do list a little bit. Each business is different. Knowing where your income comes from and what constitutes money making activity is how to address this question.

2. If I don’t do this task, what will happen? Considering the ramifications of not doing something is key to understanding its priority. If it doesn’t get done but won’t make a big difference in your business, it can wait. If it has the potential to impact your business (either positively or negatively), then it may be worth keeping as a priority.

3. Is there someone I can delegate this task to? So many times, as business owners, especially if we are solopreneurs or have a small team, we are tempted to fall into the trap of thinking we need to do it ourselves. If there are consistent tasks that show up on your to do list but never seem to get done, and are important to be completed, it may be time to consider outsourcing.

4. Does this need to be done right now? Sometimes there are flexible deadlines and things that can be postponed with minimal interruption to your business. Understanding the ebb and flow of your business and its timelines will help determine if the things on your task list can be postponed.

One of the things that I find helpful to manage my task list and determine my priorities is to do a “brain dump” of all the things I want or need to get done. Then I review the list, run it through my four questions above to decide what needs to be done. I prioritize the list and then start checking items off once completed. I find that taking a few minutes to do this process at the start of each week (and sometimes day!) will help to get more accomplished.

What are some tips you use to prioritize your task list?