Prioritization of work is key if you want to deliver anything. Have you ever been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, inching forward at a snail’s pace? It’s frustrating, right? Now, imagine if I told you that many organizations manage their work in a way that’s just as inefficient. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But stick with me, and I’ll show you why this analogy isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.
Picture this: You’re on a six-lane highway, completely gridlocked. As you’re sitting there, wondering what could possibly be causing such a delay, you notice something odd. A person is walking between the cars, getting into one vehicle, moving it forward a foot or two, then getting out and moving to another car.
As you look around, you realize this isn’t just one person – there are several people doing this, and cars all over the highway have their driver’s side doors open. It dawns on you: these people are trying to drive multiple cars down the highway at the same time.
Ridiculous, right? But here’s the kicker – this is exactly how many organizations approach their work.
When we don’t prioritize our work effectively, we’re essentially trying to drive multiple cars down the highway of productivity at once. We jump from task to task, project to project, thinking we’re being efficient by “multitasking.” But in reality, we’re just creating our own traffic jam.
Here’s the thing: multitasking isn’t really a thing, at least not in the way most people think about it. Sure, you can walk and chew gum at the same time (and if you’re not sure you can, please try it on a soft surface first!). But when it comes to knowledge work – the kind of tasks that require deep thought and concentration – switching between multiple tasks is more like our highway scenario, it is task switching, not the fable of multitasking.
Every time you switch from one task to another, there’s a cost. It might take you a few minutes or much longer to get back into the flow of what you were doing. If you’re an hour into deep work and someone interrupts you with a question about a different project, it’s not just the time of the interruption that’s lost – it’s the time it takes you to task switch to the new project, focus on that, then task switch back to the original work, refocus, and get back into that mental space.
So, what’s the solution? Prioritization. It’s that simple – and that challenging.
Prioritizing means making tough choices. It means saying “no” to good ideas so you can say “yes” to great ones. It means focusing on what’s truly important and letting go of the rest (because it is not getting done anyway!)
Here’s a little thought experiment I like to use: Imagine you’re working on 10 big projects, and someone comes to you with an 11th. Most people would groan, complain about their workload, or reluctantly agree to take it on. But here’s what I want you to do instead:
Celebrate! Put on a party hat, do a little dance, and thank them profusely for this wonderful news.
They’ll be confused, of course. But here’s what you tell them: “This is fantastic! I thought these other 10 things were important, but now I realize that time isn’t really a factor. By adding an 11th project to my already full plate, you’re telling me it’s okay if we go slower on everything. That’s such a relief! And hey, if you have a 12th project, why not throw that on too?”
Now, I’m not actually suggesting you take on that 11th project. The point is to highlight the absurdity of trying to do everything at once. When we pile on more and more work without prioritizing, we’re essentially telling ourselves and our teams that it’s okay to go slower on everything.
So, how do we break out of this cycle? Here are a few steps:
- Be honest about your current workload. Make all your projects and tasks visible.
- Break work down into incremental chunks, so it is easier to prioritize and visualize.
- Prioritize ruthlessly. Identify or ask what’s truly important and what can wait.
- Learn to say no or not yet. And to show the other priorities. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.
- Focus on one thing at a time. Give your full attention to the task at hand.
- Communicate clearly about priorities. Make sure everyone understands what’s most important and why.
Remember, the goal isn’t to work faster or harder. It’s to work smarter by focusing on what truly matters. By doing this, you’ll not only be more productive, but you’ll also reduce stress and improve the quality of your work. It’s a funny thing, if you do want to be faster, you get there my focusing, not by pretending.
So, are you ready to get out of the traffic jam and into the fast lane? Start visualizing and prioritizing today, and watch how quickly you start moving towards your goals. For those that feel like they don’t have control over priorities, start with visibility. Make the choices, delays, and absurdity clear, and ask what people want to do 1st. After all, you wouldn’t try to drive multiple cars down a highway at once – so why manage your work that way?
What are your thoughts on prioritization? How do you manage multiple projects in your work? I’d love to hear your experiences and strategies in the comments below.
