How To Prioritize Anything

January 25, 2009

Our friend and coach Betsy Crouch turned us onto this amazing method to prioritize lists of anything, originally included in What Color Is Your Parachute.

Every Monday we create our to-do lists for the week, and use this method to prioritize each item on our list.  Since we started using this technique, our productivity has increased dramatically, and we have made major progress on several projects that had previously been stalled.

Betsy described this process on Dojo Radio this week, but if you didn’t have a chance to listen to it, here is a written description of the process.

Prune Your List First

What if your to-do list has 20 items on it?  Or 50? Can you still use this technique? Well, if your task list takes more than one page, it will be impossible to adequately prioritize. No wonder you’re feeling overwhelmed!

Before you start comparing your items in pairs, you are going to have to chop down the list dramatically.  I recommend that you quickly scan your list and select the 3-7 most urgent items to be prioritized.

You only have so much time and energy, and if you are spread too thin you will continue to move at a snail’s pace. Try this prioritization technique for a few weeks, and watch the overwhelm melt away.

Make a conscious decision to direct all of your energy and resources into the one most important item on your to-do list, and blast away at it until it is done.

The Prioritization Technique

Let’s say you are a business coach, and you have four major items on your to-do list right now:

1. Write new blog post
2. Make followup calls to prospective clients
3. Send invoices
4. Add video to web site

Get out a pen or pencil and start evaluating the tasks in pairs.  You will compare each task with every other task, and ask yourself if you could do only one, which would you choose? Be honest. There is one winner for every pair.

• First, compare #1/blog post to #2/followup calls. Let’s say the end of 2008 was pretty rough for you financially — you really could use some new clients ASAP, so #2 wins.  Put one hash mark next to #2.
• Next, you compare #1/blog post to #3/send invoices.  Sending invoices will help you collect money you’ve already earned, and is the clear winner. Put a hash mark next to #3.
• Next, compare #1/blog post to #4/add video.  The blog post will take about an hour, and could help drive more traffic to your web site.  The video requires help from two other colleagues, and will probably take a few weeks to get off the ground.  You decide that #1 wins, and put a hash mark next to it.
• Put a check next to #1 to show that it’s done — it’s already been compared to every other option.

Here’s what your list should look like now:

1. |    Write new blog post √
2. |   Make followup calls to prospective clients
3. |   Send invoices
4. spAdd video to web site

Now you start the process again, by comparing #2 to #3 and marking the winner, then comparing #2 to #4 and marking the winner.  Check #2 to show that it’s done. Repeat the process, now comparing #3 to #4.

Here’s what it will look like when you’re all done:

1. |    Write new blog post √
2. ||   Make followup calls to prospective clients √
3. |||  Send invoices √
4. spAdd video to web site

Now reorder the items, in order of which got the most hash marks:

1. |||  Send invoices
2. ||   Make followup calls to prospective clients
3. |    Write new blog post
4. spAdd video to web site

Surprise Losers

This process helps you bypass the emotional choices in favor of rational choices — and because of this, you may find that one item that seemed so important somehow sank to the bottom.

In this example, the surprise losing task is adding video to the web site.  It seems exciting and important on its surface, but it did not win a single comparison. Hmmm… must not be so darned important after all!  At this point ask yourself, “What would happen if I don’t do this?”

Betsy made a really good point on the show — pay close attention to the items that you think you “should” or “need” to do. If it’s an activity that makes you feel energized and alive when you’re done, then it is probably in alignment with your higher purpose. If it’s an unpleasant activity that makes you feel relief just because it’s done, then this is a great area to examine for delegation.

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