Do you know how to prioritize your to do list?
So many of us have this huge list of things we want to get done, but when on earth are we going to do them all?? Week after week we chip away at our to-do lists, but it just keeps growing and we never really feel like we’ve accomplished anything.
Do you feel like this, too?
Well, I think I’ve found a solution!
A magic formula that helps you identify your top priorities, so you can tackle what’s important – and delegate the rest!
How to Prioritize Your To Do List
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve probably seen my “Is it a priority?” Decision Tree. While still very useful, there’s often some work to be done before you get to the point of using the decision tree.
That’s where this formula comes in. It helps you determine exactly how much of a priority your task or project is and assigns it a number, so you can easily sort by the highest priority and then start your plan of attack.
(Effort + Feasibility) / (Impact + Desirability) = Priority
Does that look like gibberish to you? Let me explain…
Let’s say you want to send an email to your clients, but you also want to create a reel on IG. How do you decide which one to do first?
Start with the email. On a scale of 1 – 10, determine:
How much effort will this take? (effort)
How hard will this be? (feasibility)
What will be the business impact of sending this email? (impact)
And is this something my clients want? (desirability)
We’ll just pretend this is how you answered:
Effort: 6
Feasibility: 5
Impact: 7
Desirability: 5
6+5=11 and 7+5=12
11 divided by 12 is 1 (I mean it’s not, but we’re rounding up)
So, your priority is a level 1, meaning it’s at the top of the list.
Now do the same for an Instagram Reel:
Effort: 10
Feasibility: 5
Impact: 3
Desirability: 1
(Effort + Feasibility) / (Impact + Desirability) = Priority
(10+5) / (3+1) = 3.75, so we’ll call it a 4
Looking at those two tasks together now, the email priority is 1 and reel priority is 4. The higher priority is definitely the email!
Here’s what that looks like:
You can easily do all of this on a sheet of paper with a calculator, but why not make it easier on yourself and grab my new Prioritization Tool spreadsheet?
The formula is built into the spreadsheet. So, all the math is done for you, you just have to plug in the numbers!
I love math, so you don’t have to!
What you get in the prioritization tool:
This is a Google Sheet, so you need to make a copy after you access it! The first tab has instructions on how to use the tool, the second tab is for you to start prioritizing your tasks and projects, and the third tab includes the “Is it a priority?” decision tree.
When you’ve gone through all the tasks on your list, you’re probably going to have a few that are at a 1. And that’s where the decision tree comes into play. It will help you determine what’s a priority and what should be delegated to someone else.
You can use this prioritization tool for anything in your life. Just change out some of the wording – business impact can become “impact on my health”, customer desirability can become “family desirability”. You get the picture, right? (if you don’t, feel free to reach out and ask me ALL the questions).
Happy prioritizing!
