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How to Prioritize Tasks in Your Life

Getting control of your life and knowing which tasks to do is one of the most useful skills you can learn.

It doesn’t matter if you can work 12 straight hours unless you know why you are doing it.

Learning how to prioritize your tasks is the natural intersection between short term planning and long term planning and it helps beating procrastination because you are always using your energies on what matter the most to you.

Fortunately it’s easy to know what’s important to do if you follow these steps:

  1. Focus on the essential. You can have great results if you focus on a few things at a time an do them well.
  2. Order your tasks. Ask yourself which of your tasks would have the biggest impact on your goals if it was already done, and put it on the top of your list. Do the same for all your tasks.
  3. Un-clutter your list. It’s a good idea to go through your list and once again remove all the superfluous and time consuming tasks that adds little or no value to you.
  4. Start at the top. Now it’s time to finally take action. Do the most important thing at the top of your list and work your way down till the bottom.
  5. Keep a timer. It’s a good idea to track how much you are working, unless of course you want to work from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed.
  6. Set a time limit. Or better yet, use the pomodoro technique.
  7. Log your results. I keep track on paper of the tasks I did during the day and I put them in a special folder in the evening. I found it useful to revisit my files after a while to see if I’m making some kind of progress, or to see if what I was doing was worth it.

Keep in mind that this process is really simple in reality and you should focus on it only 5 minutes a day, and take action in the remaining time.

An example of todo list

Here’s a practical example of todo list I made this morning for the entire day:

- Watch paid to exist seminar
– Business planning
– Work on blog template
– Work on priorities post
– Think of a new guest post
– Comment on other blogs

As you cas see, I only had 6 tasks on my todo list for today, but those are all high value activities for me.

On other days I would probably spend more time focusing on other areas of my life, but for today, that’s all.

I also ordered my tasks in a way that felt natural for me. I started with an easy task which took me around 30 minutes to complete, but then I moved to the one where I wanted to have the maximum concentration and energy.
The last one, commenting on other blogs, is something that I can easily do in the evening if necessary, because I don’t need all my energies and I can relax enjoying content while creating relationships with other people.

Moral of the story

This post covered the basics of time management. Still, consciously applying the tips presented here can make a great difference in the long term, and it helps avoiding those times when you feel stuck and don’t know what to do.

Time management tip for businesses: Consider installing time and attendance software for you and your employees. Once your tasks are prioritized, this is an excellent way of tracking the hours spent on each individual project, and will save a great deal of time that could be lost attempting to play catch-up.

Posted on November 05 2009

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  1. November 05 2009 at 18:32

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by PluginID and Oscar Del Ben, Adam Bader. Adam Bader said: RT @oscardelben: New post: How to Prioritize Tasks in Your Life http://bit.ly/1mTEwP […]

  2. AvatarJonas Says:
    November 05 2009 at 18:45

    I like the idea of starting soft, working hard and then ending the day soft too.
    Going to try that in the coming weeks because I often feel like it’s too big of a step to start off with a 3 hour webdesign task in the morning.

    Good post,
    Jonas

    reply to this comment

    • AvatarOscar Says:
      November 05 2009 at 18:48

      Hey Jonas, definitely try it. This morning I had a web design related task too (a new design for this blog).

      reply to this comment

  3. AvatarDeirdre J Says:
    November 05 2009 at 19:03

    I prefer to get my hardest task out of the way 1st thing because I often find that if I don’t do it first thing, I tend to avoid it.

    Great post, thanks!
    Deirdre J
    .-= Deirdre J´s last blog ..Tips For Affiliate Newbies =-.

    reply to this comment

  4. November 05 2009 at 19:17

    It’s amazing how a simple list can get things going. I find that even having a list is the best way to start. So many people don’t even get that far and always feel overwhelmed. A list is such a great visual indicator that things are getting done and you automatically start to feel more productive! Great post Oscar!
    .-= Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..10 Reasons Why You Should Start Playing Badminton =-.

    reply to this comment

  5. November 05 2009 at 19:38

    Hi Oscar,

    Agree, this is a great tip: Listing tasks we boost our productivity.

    Focus on the essential, it reminds me the Pareto principle: roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. I discovered it on the Tim Ferris book, and it’s true, if we would just focus on what’s really important we would obtain the best outcome with the minimum effort. Great!

    Good post Oscar,

    Dave
    .-= David | ilcantone.com´s last blog ..ENTREPRENEURIAL CHALLENGE: How to Turn $5 Into $650 in 2 Hours =-.

    reply to this comment

  6. November 05 2009 at 20:09

    Oscar… keep those great blog posts coming. I like this one, as its essential and it works!

    reply to this comment

  7. November 05 2009 at 20:26

    I’ve been reading a lot lately about time management, because I think it’s more important for me now, than it has ever been.

    I’ve got a wife and two kids, a full-time job, and three blogs etc.. it’s not easy to keep up with everything.

    Therefore, what you’re writing about focus on the essential, is my most important task every single day.

    I’ve read the pomodoro technique ebook, and I’ve tried it for three days. This works great for me. I combine it with Todoodlist by Nick Cernis.

    I use a pen and paper to list everything I need to do, every single day, and I spend 25 minutes intervals doing them.
    .-= Jens P. Berget´s last blog ..How To Create A Twitter List =-.

    reply to this comment

  8. AvatarKarina Says:
    November 05 2009 at 22:16

    I don’t know where I would be without a daily to do list. I even consider myself to be a bit of an obsessive list writer. But – it works. It keeps me on track and I get work done. There is something terribly gratifying when you put that little check mark beside the task. Sometimes it makes me feel like I’m in grade school, almost like getting a sticker when I did a great job.

    The way I prioritize my to do list is a bit different however, I tend to all the easy things during the day because I find myself getting easily distracted when the sun is outside, children are laughing, my cat is going nuts and phones are ringing. So I do things that I can easily get back to doing if I am distracted. At night is when I do all my serious work. It’s quiet and disturbances are at a minimum, but at the same time, I have pressure sitting on my shoulders as well. I have to get it done. And, I work very well under pressure. I write better when I know it needs to be done before midnight. That’s why, back in my school days all the essays I wrote the night before were A ones, and the ones I tried writing in advance were B or C ones. :)
    .-= Karina´s last blog ..Thankful Thursdays =-.

    reply to this comment

  9. AvatarNate Says:
    November 05 2009 at 23:24

    Hey Oscar -

    A big one for me is DEFER. Let the cream rise to the top and let the junk sit at the wayside.

    We all have so many tasks ranging in importance and it’s a tricky balance deciding what the best task is that we should be working on right now. I strive to focus on the important as there are a lot of little things that start to ‘creep’ in. I’ll defer what I deem is unimportant for as long as possible.
    .-= Nate´s last blog ..Get Living or Die Trying =-.

    reply to this comment

  10. AvatarMighty Says:
    November 06 2009 at 02:32

    I seriously need to log on the tasks and activities I complete daily. I started using the Pomodoro technique this week and I’m amazed with the improved focus and number of tasks I accomplished. :)

    Mighty

    reply to this comment

  11. November 06 2009 at 06:27

    Everytime you mention the pomodoro method it makes me smile and I get hungry! :) I definitely start my day with a list, otherwise, i find it too easy to “get distracted”.
    I’m convinced “getting distracted” is just a nice way of saying “finding easier things to do.”

    :)
    .-= brian papa´s last blog ..CHEERUPNATION takes to the AIR WAVES! =-.

    reply to this comment

  12. November 06 2009 at 07:33

    Time management. You’ve covered almost everything!
    .-= Basant Singh´s last blog ..Web 3.0: The Intelligent Web =-.

    reply to this comment

    • AvatarOscar Says:
      November 06 2009 at 09:05

      Yes, in reality it doesn’t need to be complicated ;)

      reply to this comment

  13. AvatarPhaoloo Says:
    November 06 2009 at 10:24

    Nice tips for me indeed. I always mess my mind with many tasks to fulfill. Recently I find that writing down tasks on a paper in the morning, spend about ten mins to think through them and sort them by priority may help me. Since then, I only focus on each and move to the next.
    .-= Phaoloo´s last blog ..12 Free Tools That Alert You Useful Information =-.

    reply to this comment

  14. November 06 2009 at 12:10

    It’s cool to start with the worst or most difficult task and plough into it to get it out of the way. Brian Tracy calls this, “Eating a live frog”.
    .-= Gordie Rogers´s last blog ..Help! I’m At A Lifestyle Design Crossroads. =-.

    reply to this comment

  15. November 06 2009 at 18:36

    Tackling the hardest first, which is usually the most essential part of the list, gives you that extra bit of energy to do the rest – after all, you’ve tamed the most challenging one first. Everything else after that gives you the confidence as well. Anything is possible and to think the day is not over yet.
    .-= jan geronimo´s last blog ..Read My Lips: Twitter Lists Are Meant to be Exclusionary =-.

    reply to this comment

    • AvatarOscar Says:
      November 06 2009 at 23:35

      Hey Jan, what you said is right. Thanks for your comment.

      reply to this comment

  16. AvatarKarlil Says:
    November 06 2009 at 20:19

    Oscar. I’m loving promodoro technique. It’s awesome I must say. Can’t thank YOU much for introducing it.

    reply to this comment

    • AvatarOscar Says:
      November 06 2009 at 23:36

      Hey Karlil, if I knew it would have worked so well for so many people I would have made an even more detailed post. I hope you took a look at the resources on the website.

      Oscar

      reply to this comment

  17. Avatartimethief Says:
    November 07 2009 at 02:38

    This is a solid time management post that I appreciate. I discovered early on in my blogging that I needed to be a good time manager and I reviewed several online to-do lists that could be used. The one I prefer is rememberthemilk Some other bloggers I know prefer using toodledoo Toodledo is now available as a native application on your iPhone. You can use it as a standalone application, or you can have it seamlessly synchronized with Toodledo.com, so you will always have access to your important tasks, even when you don’t have an internet connection.

    P.S. Although I have not used the pomodoro-technique per say I work for no longer that 45 minutes on a task and then get up and do my yoga stretch routine before I move on to the next task. T

    reply to this comment

  18. November 07 2009 at 10:29

    Great list there, Oscar!

    I like your way of thinking. In prioritising your life, not only does one need to understand time management but also one needs to see things simply.

    Life is short and time is at a premium when you consider what busy schedules we live – so it’s of the utmost importance to manage the time doing the things you love doing, something which I wrote a post about a while back:

    http://www.knowledgereform.com/2009/08/25/how-to-manage-your-time-doing-the-important-things-you-love-part-2/
    .-= Jason Cooper´s last blog ..Kymatica (2009) =-.

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  19. November 10 2009 at 16:08

    I like this post a lot. It simplifies things. It also inspires me to use several of the pointers as launching points for blog posts of my own. And it reminds me of tactics I’m already aware of but don’t necessarily put into practice as often as I should.

    reply to this comment

    • AvatarOscar Says:
      November 10 2009 at 16:21

      Hey Nancy, glad you liked this post. Feel free to use this content as an inspiration for your blog, that would make me super happy :)

      reply to this comment

  20. November 17 2009 at 17:52

    Yes, thats a nice one. Almost many people and books suggest the similar techniques!
    .-= Raghavan alias Saravanan M´s last blog ..3000 Posts in JavaRanch =-.

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  21. November 17 2009 at 17:56

    Hey timethief,

    Thanks for the url of tootledo! It is an awesome and I would be one of the few perfet target audiences of it :).

    Cheers,
    Raghavan alias Saravanan M.
    .-= Raghavan alias Saravanan M´s last blog ..3000 Posts in JavaRanch =-.

    reply to this comment

  22. AvatarJean-Marc Says:
    July 06 2010 at 19:28

    Thanks, this is great post! Good advice, briefly given. Especially like ‘Ask yourself which of your tasks would have the biggest impact on your goals if it was already done’ & time-limiting. I’m currently enjoying the Pomodoro technique you cited. It’s a kind of missing link for me between well-intentioned planning and actual results. And curiously restful – put aside doubts and distractions knowing I’ll be reminded to stop in 25 minutes. Especially good for self-employed/working from home – easy to both do lots of pointless stuff and lose track of time. A mate of mine has a good (if intimidating!) test: don’t do anything that doesn’t add value.

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