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Use the 'Eisenhower Matrix' -

One prioritization tactic you may find useful is the ‘Eisenhower matrix.’ Draw a graph with “unimportant” to “important” on the Y-axis and “not urgent” to “urgent” on the X-axis.

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Use the ‘Eisenhower Matrix’ -

Use the four boxes in the matrix to determine which tasks should be tackled first. It’s a tactic that may seem ruthless, but most likely it will help.

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Meditate -

When you’re faced with a jam-packed day, taking five or 10 minutes for a quick meditation session is probably the last thing you'd think to do.

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Meditate -

However, taking those moments to get in touch with yourself will give you the mental clarity that is needed to make strong decisions about what should be done and when.

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Keep a daily ‘top 3 tasks’ list -

Any organized person will tell you that a “to do” list is absolutely vital. Keep a list of the projects and tasks you have on the go, and view the list as a working document.

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Keep a daily ‘top 3 tasks’ list -

At the beginning of each day, review the list and ask yourself what is important at that time. Choose three tasks to focus on that day and work towards completing those first.

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Delegate -

Being able to delegate is an absolute must for any good leader. When the “to do” list is getting overwhelming, it is important to take a step back and review everything on the list.

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Delegate -

Any tasks that can be delegated should be, leaving you to focus on things only you can do. This will result in less stress for you and learnings for the rest of the team.

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Learn the ‘three Rs’ -

It may be helpful to think of your tasks as falling into one of the following categories: required, return, and reward. ‘Required’ are those tasks that only you as the leader can do.

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Learn the ‘three Rs’ -

‘Return’ are those tasks that will give the greatest return for invested time, and ‘reward’ are those that give the greatest reward, such as spending time with family and friends.

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Schedule carefully -

Of course, it's important to keep on top of your schedule. Make sure that all appointments and time-consuming tasks are written in so there are no surprises.

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Schedule carefully -

It is also a good idea to leave some time for emergencies, which will inevitably come up. If you allow for these, they won’t put you out of kilter when they do arise.

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Draft emails -

How many times have you been focused on a task and then you suddenly remember an email that you need to send? This can be distracting to say the least.

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Draft emails -

Next time this happens, knock out and save a draft of the very basic points. You will not forget to send the email, but it won’t hinder your current work either.

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Do inflexible tasks first -

If you struggle with procrastination, it is good practice to make sure you always tackle the inflexible or time-bound tasks first.

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Do inflexible tasks first -

Getting through the inflexible tasks first before moving on to the more flexible ones will help make sure that nothing goes under the radar.

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Use the ‘new boss’ test -

This little test involves asking yourself, “If I got a new boss tomorrow, how much and what of the work I am doing would they actually value?”

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Use the ‘new boss’ test -

Use your answers to this question to determine which tasks you should prioritize. You may be surprised by the results!

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Anchor priorities -

You may find it helpful to schedule time on your own calendar for things that you just need to get done.

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Anchor priorities -

Think of your priorities as appointments with a client or team member and anchor them in your schedule. This will make it less likely you will put them off.

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Act, don’t react -

This one may be a bit counterintuitive, but if you are a leader it may help to follow the mantra “act on the important, don’t react to the urgent.”

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Act, don’t react -

Try to plan your days around the big important things, and use your powers of delegation to ensure that the smaller urgent things get done.

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Practice servant leadership -

Servant leadership involves asking yourself what is important to the progress of your team and using that knowledge to drive your actions.

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Practice servant leadership -

It can be easy to focus on those tasks that give you short-term personal gain, but this is rarely conducive to the long-term success of your team or business.

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Learn about yourself -

It's helpful if you can take some time to really think about your working style, in particular the times of the day in which you are most productive.

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Learn about yourself -

Knowing the ebbs and flows of your energy levels will allow you to plan your working day according to the times you know you’ll be most productive.

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Align with company values -

Thinking about tasks through the lens of company values is enormously helpful. When looking at your “to do” list, ask yourself how far each task will enhance your company values.

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Align with company values -

Prioritize your tasks in descending order of their contribution to your company values. If you are a leader, encourage your team members to do the same.

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Follow the data -

Don’t be afraid to use data to determine the order of priority of tasks assigned to you and your team.

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Follow the data -

A simple system that uses a spreadsheet to analyze and prioritize your team’s actions and tasks can never go amiss.

Sources: (Forbes)

See also: How to be more confident at work

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