{"id":119730,"date":"2023-12-19T17:52:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T21:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=119730"},"modified":"2023-12-19T17:52:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T21:52:16","slug":"how-to-set-priorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-set-priorities\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set Priorities in Life and at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you know how to set priorities? What basic human needs<\/a> should every person fulfill for a satisfying life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re running a business or simply navigating life, you might face a roadblock when every task appears to be important. Setting priorities can fix this because it ranks tasks by value, which helps you make progress day by day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn how to set priorities in business and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

General Advice: Define Urgent vs. Important Tasks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For their advice on how to set priorities, Personal Kanban<\/em><\/a> authors Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria derive inspiration from the time management matrix<\/a> Stephen Covey presents in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/em><\/a>. Covey\u2019s matrix helps you differentiate between urgent and important<\/a> tasks. Benson and DeMaria take Covey\u2019s categories and make them more flexible to fit your personal kanban, a visual tool for keeping track of tasks throughout your workflow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High importance<\/em>Low urgency<\/em>
Continuous improvement tasks<\/strong><\/td>		High importance<\/em>High urgency<\/em>
Urgencies<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Low importance<\/em>Low urgency<\/em>
Rest and leisure<\/strong><\/td>		Low importance<\/em>High urgency<\/em>
Connection with others<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to the authors, you should prioritize continuous improvement tasks<\/strong>. These tasks include learning and making projects more efficient. This could be the case for personal projects such as getting the oil changed in your car or professional projects such as getting a head start on a performance review. They\u2019re not urgent, but they can help you avoid future emergencies. Urgencies, on the other hand, should be few and far between. Don\u2019t get into the habit of putting tasks off until they become urgent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examine the Bigger Picture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you work through your personal kanban, it\u2019s important to also look at the bigger picture<\/a> of your life. To prioritize the options in front of you, you also need to have a context for how they fit into your life\u2019s or business\u2019 overall vision. If your boss asks you to chair a committee at work, it may seem important until you stop and consider whether devoting your time and energy to that helps you achieve your professional goals<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider these six different levels\u2014or horizons\u2014of perspectives to learn how to set priorities, according to Getting Things Done<\/em><\/a> by David Allen: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The Ground is the current actions <\/strong>on your to-do list<\/a>. <\/li>
  2. Horizon 1 is current projects <\/strong>with relatively short-term timelines, such as organizing a conference or finding a new dentist. Your projects dictate many of your actions. <\/li>
  3. Horizon 2 is areas of focus and accountabilities<\/strong>, or the roles and responsibilities you have, from job duties to maintaining your health and family commitments. This horizon isn\u2019t composed of tasks but rather the interests and responsibilities that help to determine what projects and actions you\u2019ll take on. <\/li>
  4. Horizon 3 is goals<\/strong>, another horizon that dictates your projects, actions, and accountabilities. Specifically, horizon 3 encompasses goals for the next one to two years. <\/li>
  5. Horizon 4 is vision<\/strong>, or your goals for the next three to five years. Again, this influences your shorter-term goals as well as your areas of focus, accountabilities, projects, and actions. <\/li>
  6. Horizon 5 is purpose and principles<\/strong>; this is the big-picture context of your life. All your actions, projects, focuses, goals, and visions are defined by and also lead you toward your purpose<\/a> and principles.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    How to Set Priorities as a Business Leader<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Now that you have an idea of what tasks are important and what tasks are urgent, let\u2019s look at how to set priorities as a manager of a business. Most businesses have objectives that need to be met to achieve their overall vision. Some examples of business priorities<\/a> may include fulfilling customers\u2019 needs, increasing efficiency, and product testing. Below we\u2019ll look at the business hierarchy of needs<\/a> by order of importance and how to accomplish them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use Mike Michalowicz\u2019s Business Hierarchy of Needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Mike Michalowicz\u2019s business hierarchy of needs helps you prioritize solutions for your company\u2019s problems by identifying its most crucial requirement<\/strong>\u2014or vital need, as he calls it. <\/strong>This is whichever essential function will cause the most damage to your company if it isn\u2019t fulfilled. Framed positively, fulfilling <\/em>this requirement will bring the most benefit <\/em>to your company\u2014it\u2019s the most impactful approach. For example, if your business is failing because you\u2019re not making enough sales, your crucial requirement may be attracting and converting customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Michalowicz\u2019s prioritization system groups a company\u2019s requirements into five tiers: sales, profit, structure, influence, and self-perpetuation,<\/strong> with sales being the lowest tier and self-perpetuation being the highest.<\/strong> These tiers are arranged in order of importance, with the requirements that are most essential to your company\u2019s survival on the lowest tier. Thus, you must fulfill the more essential, lower-tier requirements before moving to higher tiers. This structure is based on Maslow\u2019s Hierarchy of Needs, a psychological theory that states people can\u2019t effectively fulfill some higher-tier requirements (like forming strong relationships) before they\u2019ve fulfilled other, more essential lower-tier requirements (like food).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here, we outline these tiers and highlight several of the requirements in each tier, according to Michaelowicz\u2019s book Fix This Next<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tier #1: Sales.<\/strong> Help your company survive by earning revenue through sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n