Tip of the Week: Prioritizing Tasks for Better Productivity

Prioritizing tasks is one of the hardest parts of being a business owner. Countless tasks will pile up every hour of the day, and you might be lost trying to figure out how to proceed. Thankfully, you have us to offer you some strategies to approach your workday and be more productive with your time. Let’s get started!

Eliminate Non-Starters
It stands to reason that if you can’t work on one particular task, then it shouldn’t even be on the docket. You should be taking steps to address tasks that can be completed. This keeps tasks from piling up and progress at an all-time high. Once you’ve determined which tasks can be removed from your to-do list, either because it’s not time to work on them, or you don’t have the resources to actually complete them at this time, you can remove them from your list with the intention of following up on them at a later date.

Rank Your Tasks by Importance and Urgency
Some tasks you might put off simply because you don’t want to do them, or they don’t need to be done this instant. While this might seem like procrastination, it’s reasonable to take into account the urgency of the task, as not everything is important. After all, if every task is a priority, then none of them are the priority. For the tasks with an important time frame, just resist the urge to push it back as hard as you can. This will help keep you from missing a deadline.

Determine a Task’s Value
If an item will deliver the greatest benefit to your business as a whole, then perhaps it’s important to think about it with greater urgency. This is particularly the case for client or customer satisfaction. On the other hand, you need to consider tasks that will have a major fallout if they aren’t completed on-time. If you can compare each of these and weigh their importance, you can make sure that all important tasks are accomplished when they need to be.

What Does the Boss Want?
If the higher-ups in your organization set something as a priority, chances are you should consider it a priority as well. They want things done in a certain way, so it’s your responsibility to assist them with it in any way you can. However, their word isn’t the end-all-be-all. If you see something that could be improved or a process that could benefit your organization, at least bring it up. You have nothing to lose. If the decision benefits the consumer, then there is a greater chance of the decision pushing past the executive level.

What Are You Ready to Do?
You’re not a machine; you’re a human, and as a human you can only accomplish so much on any given day. Remember your limits and try to adopt a workflow that lets you get as much done as you can without going over your limits. It’s also critical that you keep in mind some tasks will inevitably crop up and throw a wrench in your productivity, so be prepared to adjust your workday’s tasks according to priority. Start with what you’re ready to accomplish and go from there.

Walsh IT Group can equip your business with technology designed to help you be more productive. To learn more, reach out to us at (832) 295-1445.