Tips for Prioritizing Your Workload

What do you do when everything feels like it's on 🔥 and every task feels important? We either try to do 10 things at once. ↳Has this ever worked? Or we work tirelessly to cross things off our never-ending to do lists ↳Usually leading to major burn out. Last week I talked about using time blocking to be more intentional with how we are spending out time. I also shared time tracking where you can track how you're spending those blocks of time. Once you are intentional about your schedule and aware of how you're spending your time, the next step is task prioritization. Below I have attached a tool that I use almost daily. At the end of the day, I use it to plan my next day. I ask myself: -What do I have to make a priority tomorrow? -What can I save for another day? -Can I ask for help on any tasks? -Which tasks would I love to do but can't be a priority right now? Asking myself these 4 questions helps me sort my long to do list into categories ↳so that I have a plan of attack for the next day. Plus, if I get everything done on my priority list and don't get to anything else, I can say I had a productive day. And if I complete additional tasks on the other lists, well then I had a super productive day. Basing our value on how productive we are sets us up to be disappointed. ↳Our value is not tied to our productivity. And our productivity is not measured by how many tasks we complete. 1. Prioritize your tasks 2. Complete the top priority stuff first 3. Check in with yourself 4. Decide if you're ready to take a break or have the energy to keep going 5. Plan your next day 5. Rest and reset Your to do list will never be empty, ↳so stop trying to check everything off. I'll share the other 2 posts in the comments P.S. How do you prioritize what gets done first? #ProjectManagement #TimeManagement #CareerPivot

We're all too busy at work…but we don't need to be. 7 ways to work smarter, not harder: 1/ Frontload your day: Put your most important tasks at the beginning of your day. You'll have more energy to tackle them early on before distractions pop up. Write down your top 3 tasks each day and do them. No excuses. 2/ Set shorter deadlines: Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. If you're about to start a month-long project, ask yourself: "What does the 2-week version look like?" Shorter deadlines force you to focus on what matters. 3/ Track your time: Spend a week tracking your time. Record everything. At the end of 1 week, you'll likely find that you spend more time than you realize on specific activities. Adjust accordingly. 4/ Batch tasks together: Block out some time and blast through repetitive tasks such as: • Responding to emails • Checking slack • Pulling metrics You'll get into a groove and get through them faster. 5/ Do what gives you energy: At the end of your week, look back at the projects you worked on. Identify what tasks gave you energy and which tasks sucked. Figure out a way to delegate tasks that don't give you energy. Speaking of delegating... 6/ Delegate more: Delegating gives you more time to focus on the most important tasks. Try out the Eisenhower Matrix for decision-making: High urgency + High importance = DO NOW Low urgency + High importance = SCHEDULE High urgency + Low importance = DELEGATE Low urgency + Low importance = DELETE 7/ Take more breaks: This is counter-intuitive but works. If you go too long without a break, you will eventually get tired and make mistakes. Try the Pomodoro Technique: Focused work for 25 min. Then take a 5 min break. Repeat. --- These tips have worked for me. I hope they work for you too! Let me know if there are any good tips that I've missed 👇

Let's simplify productivity. Many professionals I meet are often overwhelmed dealing with urgent matters all the time, leaving little room to think about strategy, engage in one-to-one conversations, or focus on other important tasks. It's quite common, isn't it? But there's a simple system to help you ensure you focus on what truly matters amidst your to-do list. It's called the Eisenhower Matrix, named after President Dwight Eisenhower. You simply sort tasks by urgency and importance. Here are the options: 1) Urgent and Important ➡ Do this first. 2) Urgent but Not Important ➡ Delegate or pass this on. 3) Not Urgent but Important ➡ Plan time for this later. 4) Not Urgent and Not Important ➡ Cut this out or minimize it. Also, I would add one thing that works for me in this system and how I organize my schedule: it's important to plan a certain amount of time for the urgencies we face on a daily basis, not filling the schedule only with meetings and tasks. Leaving open space in your day to deal with unpredictable things is also a good thing to do. Embracing this system in my mind has changed the way I think and prioritize things nowadays. Since I started using it, it has transformed my productivity. If you're struggling to prioritize your work, start using this method! #SelfDevelopment #LeadershipSkills #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipJourney

66% of employees say they’re burned out. But most don’t realize - it’s a time management problem. That used to be me. I felt completely overwhelmed by my to-do list. It was the #1 thing keeping me stuck. Feeling behind all the time is more common than you think, especially when your to-do list piles up. Luckily, there are tools to help you work smarter, not harder. Here are 8 proven productivity techniques (and when to use them): 1️⃣ Pomodoro Technique ↳ What it does: Breaks work into manageable 25-minute chunks with breaks. ↳ When to use: For tasks requiring deep focus but feeling overwhelming. 2️⃣ The 2-Minute Rule ↳ What it does: Tackles tasks you’d otherwise procrastinate on. ↳ When to use: To clear small tasks like emails or messages. 3️⃣ Time Blocking ↳ What it does: Allocates time for deep work, meetings, and breaks. ↳ When to use: To create structure in your day. 4️⃣ The Eisenhower Matrix ↳ What it does: Prioritizes tasks by urgency and importance. ↳ When to use: When your to-do list feels unmanageable. 5️⃣ The 1-3-5 Rule ↳ What it does: Balances your workload with 1 big, 3 medium, and 5 small tasks. ↳ When to use: When you need to focus on impact, not volume. 6️⃣ Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) ↳ What it does: Focuses energy on the 20% of tasks that deliver 80% of results. ↳ When to use: When your workload feels overwhelming. 7️⃣ Getting Things Done (GTD) ↳ What it does: Breaks down tasks into clear, actionable steps. ↳ When to use: To organize a chaotic workload. 8️⃣ Eat That Frog ↳ What it does: Gets the biggest challenge done first, building momentum. ↳ When to use: To tackle your hardest or most important task. We all face moments of overwhelm. It’s part of being productive. How you manage it is what makes all the difference. Which productivity technique works best for you? Share your thoughts in the comments! P.S. Want a high-res PDF of this sheet (plus access to my entire cheat sheet vault)? Sign up for my newsletter here at the link in my profile. __ ♻️ Repost to inspire people in your network! ➕ Follow Sheena Hakimian for daily tips like this!