Great Prioritization

1. Don't prioritize in a vacuum. Include your team and assess the criticality of their current focus, redirecting them toward what matters most. 2. Priorities are outcomes of principles. So first determine what principles should guide your prioritization.

Research suggests that the average person has 150 tasks on their to-do list at any given time. More hours in the day won't help us move the needle on that level of demand—the only sustainable solution I've ever found lies in creating systems. It is a discipline to remember that investing the time up front in building great systems frees our energy and focus for the priorities that most benefit from it.

Take stock of your immediate needs versus aspirational goals for your organization. Once you have bucketed your priorities into those two categories, use a method like the Eisenhower matrix to leverage your immediate needs' urgency and importance. Take care of those that are immediate and important, and then time bind the rest with their correlation to your aspirational goals!

Look back at your mission and be consistent with your priorities. We are in an environment with fast-paced development and constant changes, creating shifting priorities. Consistency is more valued than ever in such an environment, and sticking to priorities that directly serve your mission will help create this consistency.