https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-prioritize-tasks

5 tools to prioritize tasks

Humans aren’t natural time managers. While some are more naturally inclined to organize their time, most people must learn how to prioritize tasks to better achieve their goals. That’s comforting since it means you can learn it, too.

Here are five methods for task prioritization.

1. Task agenda

Start simple by outlining your tasks and deadlines in a time management planner, such as a digital calendar, productivity app, or handwritten agenda. You can create separate personal and professional task lists or house everything in the same space to gain a big-picture view of your day, week, or month.

2. Eisenhower matrix

If you struggle to visualize your priorities, try drawing a two-by-two matrix with “Important” and “Not important” on the X-axis and “Urgent” and “Not Urgent” on the Y-axis. Place tasks in their matching quadrant to categorize everything as either “Urgent and important,” “Urgent but not important,” “Not urgent but important,” and “Not important and not urgent.” Then decide what you’ll take on, schedule, delegate, and eliminate.

3. ABCDE

This technique involves ranking every task from A–E, with A being most important and E being least. Whether for personal or team tasks, this ranking helps everyone understand expectations and provides a clear roadmap for tackling tasks. And, while this method doesn’t account for urgency, you could consider it when debating how important something is.

4. Eat the frog

“Eating the frog” means doing your most dreaded task first, getting it out of the way so you can focus on other items and kick-start your day feeling productive and accomplished. The rest of your day also feels easier since you’re not avoiding some daunting and complex task. And you might feel less distracted because you won’t be thinking about the item you know you have to do but don’t want to.

5. Most important task (MIT)

The MIT method involves choosing a couple of tasks each day and week that are most important and giving them your attention. Once you complete them, you free yourself to work on whatever you like in any order. This method is excellent when you don’t have many urgent daily and weekly tasks and also enjoy more flexible work you can do at any time.