HOW TO PRIORITISE / THE FINANCIAL TIMES ( RECOMMENDED READING )

The careerist: How to prioritise

By Rhymer Rigby

Published: September 26 2010 20:11

Along with information overload, many managers also suffer from to-do list overload, with dozens of tasks vying for their attention. How do you make sure you tackle the ones that really matter?


Planning is the first step


“Prioritisation comes down to planning,” says Clare Evans, a time management coach. “Write down what it is you want to do and work out where these things fit into your overall goals.”


Ben Williams, a corporate psychologist, advises dividing tasks into achievable targets. “If you have a goal like, ‘I want to open up a new market’, break it down into objectives that are very specific and measurable and give yourself a target date for the objectives.”


You must then look at day-to-day tasks and determine if they advance you towards the objective. It is, he explains, “about establishing where you get the most benefit”.


He also suggests writing down lists the night before, as “your unconscious solves problems when you’re asleep”.


What if I’m still unsure?


In large organisations – and particularly if you have multiple bosses – it can still be extra difficult to identify priorities. If you’re unsure, ask your customers, line managers and colleagues what they consider important. If you have a mentor, ask them.


Geraldine Gallacher, an executive coach, says: “You need to know what you’re good at. Think about where you stand out. What are you known for?”


She adds that unimportant tasks should be delegated. “You should have a not-to-do list – and you need to be quite ruthless.”

What about other people’s priorities?


Ms Gallacher says that this is not easy. “You can often question or challenge the person – Is this important for me to do? Is this a priority? – or you can say no. Explain that you already have things to do – ask them, ‘Which task do you want me to do?’ ” Obviously the degree of push-back will depend on a variety of factors and there is a political element – unimportant tasks can become important if they are for important people.


Where do people go wrong?


Lack of planning is the biggest problem, says Ms Evans. “People often aren’t clear what their goals are. You need to look at everything. No one has time to do it all, but if you don’t plan, you won’t know what’s important.” Assuming you have planned you must still stick to what is important: most people rightly tackle tasks that are urgent and important first. But many then make the mistake of moving on to tasks that are urgent, but not important. “Successful people stay in the important area,” says Ms Gallacher.


Mr Williams cautions: “You need to watch out for time predators – people who say, ‘Can you just do that for me?’ ”


And it’s not just people: sitting in front of a PC, it’s very easy to let e-mail dictate the order in which you do things.


What about priorities outside work?


“Many people have incredibly full-on careers, and they give other areas like health and fitness and recreation and socialising very low priorities,” says Ms Gallacher. This is a mistake as these things provide balance, reduce stress and are likely to improve your performance. “You should diarise things like going to the gym and meeting friends. They are important.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010.