Prioritization Techniques for To-Do Lists

In my first leadership role, I never left work before 9:00 p.m. I used to carry a list of the things I needed at the drugstore, but never made it because the drugstore closed before I left work. One day, a mentor visited me at the education nonprofit I was running at the time. I showed her the list and joked about never making it to the store. She asked me why I wasn’t leaving work earlier and I said, “Well, there's so much to do, and my staff likes to stay late, so I have to stay late.” She pushed back: “Jen, you have to go home so they can go home.” She was right. I needed to model how we prioritize our time. Her advice to me: make a Mission To-do List. Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ Put your mission across the top of a piece of paper and your to-do list down the side 2️⃣ Go through every item to see how much it actually drives the mission or not 3️⃣ Remove any items that are not critical to achieve your mission (or at least move them to the bottom of the list) The exercise inspired me to slim down both my own to-do this and the list for our team. Suddenly, the t-shirts for our summer field trip didn’t seem so important, especially in comparison to finalizing the Algebra curriculum. We focused on the things that mattered and removed or reprioritized the rest. The mission-based to-do list is a powerful exercise that I’ve used with every team since. At Rising Team, we call it BGF, which stands for “Boat Go Faster.” It's based on a winning British rowing team that asked themselves the same question about every addition to their regimen before the Olympics—”Will it make the boat go faster?” In my experience, focusing our to-do list doesn't diminish our productivity. If we do the more important things first, there's often still time to get to extra pet projects. What a mission-based to-do list does is protect our time and energy for the things that matter most—our mission and our team's well-being. 📃 Tell me: Is there anything you can take off your to-do list today? 👇🏼 #leadership #teamdevelopment #prioritization —- Like this post? Follow me for more insights on leadership, team building, and the future of work. Subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter Leadership is Everywhere: https://lnkd.in/g_VETsRY

Yesterday I posted about ways to help you work through your task list, but how do you know which order to do your tasks in? 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 then use a great tool called the Eisenhower Matrix that helps me prioritise tasks by how urgent and important they are. If you search online you can see how to draw the matrix, it's a simple diagram that allows you to put tasks into 4 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 are tasks that 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. #TaskManagement #Prioritising

Ever felt the confusion of a never-ending to-do list?? Feeling overwhelmed by tasks can paralyze progress - I know, because it used to happen to me on a regular basis. The result was a not-so-fun cycle of stress and inefficiency. What saved me from the endless loop of writing everything down I 'wanted' to get done? Embracing the 1-3-5 Rule. Before the 1-3-5 Rule I'd literally write everything I wanted to get done for the day and just march down the list. There was very little rhyme or reason. So what's the 1-3-5 Rule? 1️⃣ Major Task – the one task that absolutely needs your full attention and will have the biggest impact. 3️⃣ Medium Tasks – still important, but not quite as heavy-lifting as the major one. 5️⃣ Small Tasks – quick, easy wins that keep you moving forward without sapping your energy. Here's why it works: It Prevents Overwhelm: By focusing on just a handful of priorities, you avoid feeling buried under a mountain of tasks. Focus on Quality: Your biggest task gets the attention it deserves, rather than being rushed or skipped. Builds Momentum: Tackling five small tasks keeps morale high—who doesn’t love ticking items off a list? Boosts Productivity: A realistic daily plan means fewer distractions and more meaningful progress. Make sense? Now you try it: 1. Brain Dump Your Tasks: At the start of the week (or day), jot down every task swirling in your head. No filter—just write. 2. Categorize by Priority: Sort them into major, medium, or small based on impact and complexity. 3. Create Your 1-3-5 List: Choose one major, three medium, and five small tasks to tackle. 4. Start with the Biggest Task: Dedicate your prime morning hours to your major task. Minimize distractions by turning off notifications or skipping non-essential chit-chat. 5. Use the Pomodoro Technique: Work in focused sprints (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off) to keep your energy and focus sharp. I bought a timer on amazon to help with this and it has been super helpful. You can try this starting today! Give it a shot for a week and see if it transforms your productivity—and your peace of mind.

I’m a pretty public “wearer of many hats”, so I’m often asked about how I juggle my collossal to do list. Here’s how I think about prioritization 🧠 Before I start organizing the items my to-do list, I review each project/task on my list with a critical lens, asking, do we actually NEED to do this? Sounds simple, but you'd be shocked how often teams add tasks without clear objectives. Recently, a pricey event was internally flagged as must-attend. “We need to be there” was a phrase I heard over and over on meetings, in Slack, etc. I hit pause immediately. I was game to consider the event, as long as we had solid answers to the following questions: 1. What's the objective in attending? 2. What's our desired outcome? 3. What needs to be true in order to achieve this outcome? Half the battle of prioritization is critically evaluating new projects and tasks before they even hit your plate. Once I've filtered out the noise, I use the Eisenhower Matrix. It's a simple four-quadrant system based on urgency vs. importance: Urgent + Important = DO IT Clear deadline, real consequences, requires my skill set. Goes straight to the top of my list. Not Urgent + Important = SCHEDULE IT/ PLAN Important but no hard deadline. Gets added to my to-do list without a specific due date so I don't forget, but it's not this week's priority. Urgent + Not Important = DELEGATE IT Needs to get done but doesn't require my expertise. Perfect example: when our team needed new founder headshots. Urgent? Yes. Requires my strategic brain? Nope. Delegated immediately. Not Urgent + Not Important = DELETE IT Why is this even on our radar? Pure distraction. Adios. The magic happens when you're ruthless about that fourth quadrant. Most people are terrible at saying no to tasks that feel productive but don't actually move the needle. Humans love checking easy things off the to-do list, because getting stuff done feels good. But that doesn’t mean those odds & ends are an efficient use of our time. I run through my list using this system weekly, and it's been a game-changer for keeping our team focused on what actually matters vs. what just feels busy. What's your biggest prioritization challenge? The endless to-do list or learning to say no in the first place? 👇

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lose focus. It's easy to say you're going to get to a task later. Even if that task makes it to a to-do list, that list can become a never-ending reminder of tasks not done. 📝 I am passionate about #TimeManagement As a frazzled new Sales Leader, I realized quickly that I needed to actively manage my time. I couldn't lose days where I worked my a** off all day and then asked myself - what the heck did I even do today? As a Founder, owning my time became a renewed passion. For the first time, ever, I get to decide exactly how to spend my days and I want to spend them doing work that drives impact and joy. One of my favorite time management techniques is having a to-do list that I actually use. To-do lists are a STRUGGLE for me. Two tips if you also struggle with to-do lists: ❌ If the task will take more than an hour to complete, don't put it on a to-do list. ❌ If the task doesn't need to be done in the next 1-2 weeks, don't put it on a to-do list. ✅ If you relate to those struggles, skip straight to step 4: DIARISE I created and follow this Flow Your To-Do List Framework for every other task. The Flow Framework is built on four pillars: DO, DELEGATE, DELETE, and DIARISE. 1. DO: For tasks that are both important and urgent, action is key. These are the tasks that need to be completed in the next 1-2 weeks. If a task is critical, it’s worth your immediate focus. 2. DELEGATE: You can’t do everything, and that’s okay. Delegate tasks that don’t require your personal touch. Whether it's automating, outsourcing, or assigning them to your team, delegating frees you on tasks that make the biggest impact or bring you the most joy. 3. DELETE: Not every task deserves your attention. If something isn’t essential or isn’t aligned with your goals, it’s time to let it go. Free yourself from low-priority tasks that don’t push you forward. 4. DIARISE: Some tasks aren’t urgent but still important. These are the ones you diarise—scheduled for later, using time-blocking or goal-setting techniques. By diarising larger, long-term tasks, you ensure they get done without overwhelming your current workload. ✅ PRO TIP: Use the PATH goal-setting framework to diarise major tasks, breaking them down into smaller steps that are easier to manage. Want to help your team improve their time management skills? Let's talk about time management training using the Flow & PATH Frameworks. Drop "PATH" in the comments to learn more.

Time management isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing what matters most.   In a recent coaching session, my client was feeling stretched thin and stuck at the same time—urgent tasks were constantly pulling her away from what she really wanted to focus on.   To help her gain clarity, I introduced the Eisenhower Matrix.   This simple but powerful tool helps distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s important: 🟩 Important & Urgent: Do it now 🟨 Important but Not Urgent: Schedule it 🟥 Not Important but Urgent: Delegate it ⬜ Not Important & Not Urgent: Let it go   Once we mapped her to-do list into this framework, her priorities came into focus—and so did her peace of mind. She realized she was spending too much time reacting to the urgent while neglecting the important. Sound familiar?   The Eisenhower Matrix doesn’t give you more hours in the day—but it can help you use them more intentionally.   How do you decide what’s worth your time?   #leadership #timemanagement #coaching #productivity #prioritization #eisenhowermatrix

Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list? You’re not alone. One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn — as both a leader and a founder — is how to let go. When you’re used to being the go-to person who “gets it done,” delegation feels unnatural. Even harder when you can do the task yourself. But without boundaries and prioritization, your plate overflows — and burnout isn’t far behind. Being a single mom and building a startup has forced me to unlearn the habit of doing it all. I’ve had to evolve how I lead, both at home and in business. That’s where the Eisenhower Matrix comes in — my go-to framework for weekly planning and real-time prioritization. It helps me ask: → What tasks require my focus? → What can be planned or paused? → What can be handed off — or dropped completely? → And most importantly: Is this more important than the rest of my priorities? How to use it: 1️⃣ Write down everything on your mind or task list. 2️⃣ Sort it into 4 categories: Do, Plan, Delegate, Drop 3️⃣ Be ruthless — your energy is a limited resource. 4️⃣ Delegate what you can — to your team, your family, or a service provider. 5️⃣ Timebox the “Do” and “Plan” tasks into next week’s calendar. 6️⃣ Keep a running list of what you dropped — it helps you stay aligned with your priorities and resist picking them back up. What’s one thing you’ve learned to delegate? Sometimes seeing what others let go of helps us spot opportunities on our own priority list. Drop your wins in the comments. 👇 ♻️ Know someone drowning in to-dos? Reshare this — it might be the clarity they didn’t even know they needed. ➕ Follow Morgan Davis, PMP, PROSCI, MBA for more actionable insights on leadership and systems thinking. 

For years, to-do lists were my nemesis. Juggling family, clients, social media, and everything else seemed impossible to capture it all on one list.. I'd meticulously write everything down, feeling a surge of accomplishment at my planning prowess. Then, inevitably, BAM! The day would disappear in a whirlwind of activity, and half my list would still be mocking me from my notebook. 🤣 As entrepreneurs, isn't the pressure already high enough? Why add another source of overwhelm with a never-ending to-do list?🥲 There had to be a better way. And guess what? There is and I found it😄 I finally discovered a productivity hack that transformed my to-do lists from a source of stress into a powerful tool. So, instead of one giant list, I started dividing tasks into categories like: 1. Urgent & Important: These are my top priorities - tackle them first. No more staring at a mountain of stuff, wondering where to even begin. 2. Important, Not Urgent: These tasks are important, but they don't need immediate attention. Schedule dedicated time for them and avoid the stress of feeling like everything needs to happen right now. 3. Not Important, Not Urgent: This is the liberation zone. Delegate these tasks (if possible) or ditch them altogether. Freeing up your mental space for what truly matters is amazing. The result? 📍 I stopped feeling cheated by my to-do list and started feeling empowered by it. 📍I get more done in less time, and the stress monster doesn't stand a chance. P.S. What productivity hacks do you use to stay on top of your to-do? #productivitytips #eisenhowermatrix #mondaymotivation

Last month, I turned down 5 great projects All of them were promising And yet, I said a resounding "No" to all of them. Why? Currently, my full focus is on building a world-class operating system at notus, and thus, I must carefully prioritize my projects. If you constantly suffer from shiny object syndrome like I do, then you will understand that it’s too easy to start working on stuff with no impact. To avoid this, I started using this 3-step process to prioritize my projects. 1. Capture ideas and projects I start by creating a master list of all my current ideas and projects. When I log an idea into my project database, it includes: - Project name and description - Description of the current process (status quo) - Why this project is needed and what is the expected outcome 2. Prioritize with an Impact/Effort Matrix I evaluate each project using the Impact/Effort Matrix. Here's how it works: · Do It Quadrant (High Impact + Low Effort) I start these projects as soon as possible! They are quick hits and also contribute directly to my goals. · Plan It Quadrant (High Impact + High Effort) This is where I spend most of my time and energy. But I plan anything on this quadrant before executing. · Time Waster Quadrant (Low Impact + Low Effort) These are tasks that I deprioritize or delegate to someone else. Ideally to someone for whom they might be important. · Avoid Quadrant (Low Impact + High Effort) These are the pointless activities that distract me from my goals. Sometimes they are necessary but I try to limit my time on these as much as possible. 3. Prioritize 2-3 projects Finally, I choose 2-3 priorities based on the best impact/effort position But I don’t start working on them right away! I perform a ROI Assessment before (Return of Investment) How? This is a topic for another post! I am sure that there will be times when I won’t need this super-powerful framework to prioritize all of my work But, right now, my focus is to improve and simplify our core service, by building a world-class operating system. Therefore, projects that do not fall into this goal will receive a "No." Do you use a different prioritization system? Share it in the comments! #projectmanagement #prioritization #operations

Let's simplify productivity. Many professionals I meet are often overwhelmed dealing with urgent matters all the time, leaving little room to think about strategy, engage in one-to-one conversations, or focus on other important tasks. It's quite common, isn't it? But there's a simple system to help you ensure you focus on what truly matters amidst your to-do list. It's called the Eisenhower Matrix, named after President Dwight Eisenhower. You simply sort tasks by urgency and importance. Here are the options: 1) Urgent and Important ➡ Do this first. 2) Urgent but Not Important ➡ Delegate or pass this on. 3) Not Urgent but Important ➡ Plan time for this later. 4) Not Urgent and Not Important ➡ Cut this out or minimize it. Also, I would add one thing that works for me in this system and how I organize my schedule: it's important to plan a certain amount of time for the urgencies we face on a daily basis, not filling the schedule only with meetings and tasks. Leaving open space in your day to deal with unpredictable things is also a good thing to do. Embracing this system in my mind has changed the way I think and prioritize things nowadays. Since I started using it, it has transformed my productivity. If you're struggling to prioritize your work, start using this method! #SelfDevelopment #LeadershipSkills #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipJourney