Sep 14, 2008
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How to Prioritize Tasks
What should I do first?
How do you decide what is a priority?
These questions are essential to managing time and being effective on projects. Its important to learn how to separate to-do’s and define what are priority tasks.
There are two methods that are worth looking at when trying to answer those questions:
P.O.S.E.C. Method
The POSEC method is an acronym that stands for Prioritize by Organizing, Streamlining, Economizing and Contributing. This method states that if you pay attention to your everyday, personal responsibilities first, then you are in a better position to handle other things that may come your way.
This method has a hierarchical guideline that you should follow:
- PRIORITIZE-Your time and define your tasks by goals.
- ORGANIZING-Things you have to accomplish regularly to be successful (everyday administrative tasks, arriving on time to meetings, knowing where things are on your desk or computer).
- STREAMLINING-Things you may not like to do, but must do (specific project related tasks you’re not crazy about working on).
- ECONOMIZING-Things you should do or may even like to do, but they’re not pressingly urgent (working on projects you enjoy, longer term projects, personal development and learning new skills).
- CONTRIBUTING-By paying attention to the remaining things that make a difference but which may not have an immediate measurable benefit (that extra mile of detail, consideration or kindness).
This method lets you break down your projects and tasks into little segments. It basically helps you put your tasks in order because if personally the things you have to do regularly are good then it makes the rest of your tasks easier to deal with. The P.O.S.E.C. method may not work for everyone but for some it will be the answer to their prayers.
The Eisenhower Method
In this method all tasks are evaluated using the following criteria:
- Important/Unimportant
- Urgent/Not Urgent
Much like a Four Quadrant Method – items are place in each corresponding box according to its importance and urgency. So, things that are unimportant or not urgent can be placed behind those that are important or urgent. Pretty much common sense but you’d be amazed at what separating your tasks into these quadrants can do for your time management and productivity. It can be a tremendous help when looking at a list of tasks and wondering “what do I do first?”
Interestingly, this method is called the Eisenhower Method because it was said that former U.S. President and Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower was said to have used this method.
No matter how you prioritize your tasks or even your life, the important thing is to gain control over the things that are eating away at your time and standing in the way of your accomplishing everything you’d like to. The first task for many will be to “start” utilizing time management methods like this to make their task lists and projects a lot more manageable.
As with anything, the first step is always the most difficult, but once you have a system in place using it will only get easier and it will be very beneficial.
Although the POSEC method is very intuitive, it’s amazing that just a small number of Project Managers use it (I don’t use it myself). The issue with the POSEC method is that you will need to clean your plate before applying it, a clean plate state usually happens when you’re joining/leaving a company.
The Eisenhower method is what I usually use (along with the rest of Project Managers out there), the nice thing about this method is its flexibility, the bad thing about it is that some tasks (sometimes a lot) fall through the cracks or get delayed indefinitely.
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