How to Prioritize When Everything Is Important

Instead of getting overwhelmed, you gotta learn how to prioritize your priorities.

Yes, thats entirely possible, and were going to tell you how to do it.

And as luck would have it, I was a full time PM for many years,PMP-certifiedand everything.

Heres how you could apply some of those techniques to your everyday life.

First, answer the question: Is everythingreallyimportant?

The first question you have to get past is whether or not everything really is of equal importance.

At work, you have a manager.

At home, youre your own boss.

If youve got a tried and true system, great.

If not,check out our guide to building one thats right for you.

Whichever tool and productivity method you choose, dump your to-dos and projects into it as quickly as possible.

None of the sides can be adjusted without making changes to the other two sides.

The sides youre weakest in help determine the projects that need special attention.

Heres how you’re able to use these three principles to organize your everyday to-dos.

Deadlines are deadlines, and often were not the ones who set them.

This is where working backwards from due dates is crucial.

Start a spreadsheet, and mark down when each project or task on your plate needs to be finished.

Cost means more than just dollars.

Could you finish faster if someone else worked on it for you?

Perhaps theres a program or software that can automate the process for you, and its pretty cheap.

By now, you should have your priorities laid out and you have a good idea what you need.

Even so, its essential, and once you do it youll never look back.

This story was originally published in 2012 and was updated on 11/22/19 to provide more thorough and current information.