When you want to prioritize: 8 tips to get started
With almost one month in the books for 2022, many of us are struggling to figure out what to focus on. For those who made resolutions, you may have formed a new habit, or that new Peloton you bought is the world's most expensive clothes hanger.
If you are an avid reader of Corporate Safari, you know how much of a list-maker I am. Many of you know I started a new adventure with an up-and-coming HR Technology company poised to grow. In four weeks, I have reams of lists, action items, suggestions, ideas, context, background information, and advice. I am now at a point where I need to make sense of it all and determine where we can focus on getting things done and making a meaningful impact.
Some of you may have started new jobs this month, and some have not, but this is the time of year when we think about how to maximize the year, make progress, and execute our goals. So, how many of us are overwhelmed by our lists?
You may have a personal list and a professional list. You may have a financial list and a home project list. You may have a health and fitness list and a spiritual mindset list. Whatever the headings atop your lists, I suspect you have many bullet points underneath those headings. I know I do.
So, where do you start? It is easy to read your lists and get overwhelmed. Maybe your list grows every day. In my new job, I had a list after week one, then week two, then week three. It didn't shrink; it only got longer, spread across more notebook pages.
Stephen Covey, one of my favorite authors of all time, has so many good pieces of advice about prioritization. I am re-reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Even though it is decades old, it is still relevant.
My favorite quote from Covey is: "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities."
My favorite quote #2 is: "You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage — pleasantly, smilingly, unapologetically — to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside."
I love this second quote because while it addresses prioritization, it also speaks to what matters most that drives someone to take action and derive fulfillment.
I am a big fan of quotes, mantras, and sayings. Words matter to me. As a writer, they have always counted, so I put a lot of faith and trust in them. Here are my words of advice to help prioritize that long list of to-dos, dreams, and projects we have on our notepads.
Define your top five high-level priorities.
I can't give you the formula to define your top five strategic priorities, but I can say that more than five is too much. In business, think about your customers and their satisfaction, your people and their engagement, your financial and growth targets, and your focus on innovation. Within these parameters are your top five. Pick five and communicate them broadly across the organization. In your personal life, you can do the same. Think about yourself, your family, house, health, finances, friends, and side hustle. Pick five areas that matter most to you and will have the most significant impact on your confidence, happiness, and well-being.
Create lists and mindmaps.
While mine is out of control, I encourage everyone to start with lists. These can be on a notepad, spreadsheet, or Word document. If you know your top five, create a mindmap. This exercise consists of writing down a central theme, topic, idea, or priority in the center and branching ideas off of that central theme. Your goal is to capture the work, ideas, and focus areas you feel could support those priorities. There is free software to do this. I have used big pieces of paper to do this as well. They can be messy, but that is okay. It is your starting point.
Align under your top five.
Once you have your brain dump, it is time to choose and align. My priorities center on five themes: Does this make money? Does this solve a significant pain point/gain efficiency? Does this engage our people more? Does this give us an edge over the competition? Does this position us well in the marketplace? Not everything will be impactful. For those items that won't have the most significant impact, they move into my "Ideas" folder. It doesn't mean they are wrong or bad; it just means they are not a priority. Please remember: We cannot do everything at once. This is the quickest road to burnout. Choose, align, and focus.
Learn to say "no" or "not right now."
For those people pleasers out there, this one is hard. Actually, for most of us, this is hard. No one likes to say "no." Some of us feel that if we say "no," we will be minimalized, ignored, or even fired. This is extreme thinking. I have never been let go for saying "no." I say "not right now" more than “no." Focusing and executing what is essential means that specific actions, projects, ideas, and requests won't fit. The key is to be clear with others on our priorities and why theirs may not fit at this time. Make a note; record the ask, and figure out when to take it on. Be sure to go back to that person to let them know when you can take it on and be sure to follow through.
Timeboxing is your friend.
I know many of us have heard about timeboxing. It is a fancy term that means to take things in chunks within a set timeframe. So, if one of my aligned priorities is to improve employee engagement, I would set a goal to brainstorm ideas in the next 30 days and implement two actions in the next 60 days. The way to keep things moving is to specify timeframes to make some impact. As we all have experienced, some projects can last for a while and go on and on. I have been a part of many projects that spanned two years because we didn't focus. We did it on the side and kept spinning on what to do. Timebox your plans to see progress. You can also collect feedback and iterate along the way.
Revisit your priorities.
Priorities can change. I recommend revisiting them every quarter to ensure they still make sense and are relevant. If they change, communicate the change, why they are changing, and how that impacts others.
Make changes intentionally.
When you revisit your priorities, and you feel they should change, be sure to consider those changes carefully. Maybe you need to change them because you met or exceeded a goal. Great! Don't forget to celebrate that. Perhaps a priority changes because an external force changes the landscape on you. Perhaps there is a significant strategy change at the C-level. Then, you must change to stay in alignment. On a personal level, maybe a life event happens that makes remodeling your house impossible. So, make a change. Just be intentional with shifts and have good reasons. The quickest way to destroy trust and demotivate a team is to switch priorities constantly.
Be clear and transparent.
As I eluded to above, the most important part of prioritizing is to ensure everyone is aware of the priorities, why they are high areas of focus, and how they can impact and support them. Even for priorities in your personal life, your family and friends can help you focus on your priorities. If your priority is to lose weight and your husband brings home doughnuts every Saturday morning, that is not helpful or supportive. In work life, we all need to be rowing in the same direction to ensure our clients are delighted, we turn a profit, our shareholders feel good, and our employees feel a sense of belonging and pride.
I still believe in Stephen Covey as the master, and I highly encourage a quick review of his 7 Habits book. He has many tips and tricks for staying focused on what matters. For me, it all starts with the top five areas of focus. We can align underneath and keep the course to ensure our priorities get the love and attention they need.
Now, emergencies happen. This is reality, and we need to address them reactively sometimes. However, emergencies cannot dominate our lives as we will never see success or cross the finish line. We will only live in a reactive mode where others prioritize our work and lives, and we will feel deflated and exhausted.
Take control, have strategic conversations, make your mindmaps, and have a productive year!