Setting priorities for the day is not simple.
In our daily lives, there are so many possibilities and events that can happen that it can be challenging to know what to do and where to begin.
When we are overloaded, we lose sight of what is most crucial and what we should prioritise.
…But in order to effectively manage your time, you must understand how to set and maintain priorities.
Set clear priorities for the day and create a plan to achieve them.
I'll provide you with a suggestion in this article to assist you: To clearly define your priorities, ask yourself these six strategic questions every day.
These inquiries will assist you.
greater clarity
Describe your most crucial activity.
Remove the unnecessary
Make the choice.
Spend your time wisely by doing so.
What would I accomplish today if I could only complete one task?
Overestimating how many tasks we can complete in a day is one of the most frequent time management errors.
We believe we can complete ten to fifteen tasks in a single day because our eyes are bigger than our stomachs.
Our energy fluctuates on top of the fact that our days are filled with unexpected events and meetings. Therefore, attempting to complete so many tasks at once is unrealistic.
The purpose of this first question is to get to the point: if there was only one task that could be done today, what would it be (not which)?
This kind of thinking allows you to quickly rule out unnecessary choices and pinpoint the ONE thing that truly matters today.
As a result, this thing becomes your top priority for the day, and this is what you must do first.
What can I do right now to advance my project, my career, or my goals?
This second query directs us to another line of inquiry: Considering the task's added value.
Despite the fact that you may have 1001 things on your to-do list, which one will help you advance your project or current goals the most?
The idea that all tasks are equal in value is untrue.
In actuality, only a small subset of tasks will advance you towards your goals and have a high added value.
So what could you do right now (and before anything else) to maximise your projects and goals?
On a project, you might have a tonne of difficult tasks to complete. Which one will put you further ahead today?
Not all project phases are top priorities for the day. Others can hold off until later.
On the other hand, you must take care to avoid succumbing to the "tyranny of the emergency" and spending all of your time putting out fires, much like a firefighter.
To avoid situations becoming urgent, it is best to plan ahead and take preventative action. And for that, careful planning is needed in advance.
However, if something is truly urgent (and there is nothing that can be done about it), then that becomes the day's top priority.
Note that while some professions are more predictable than others, others are more suited to emergencies.
The lesson from this third question is that we must always keep a deadline in mind.
We want to specify the proper priority when we plan our day or week. Additionally, the task with the earliest deadline will always be more urgent than a task of equal importance with a later deadline.