Not every project or task you take on requires your immediate attention.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself a few questions to help you prioritize your to-do list.
- why is this task necessary? If there’s no clear answer, it’s probably not urgent.
- what would happen a month from now if you don’t get this done? It’s tempting to barrel through your list for the sake of crossing things off, but before you spend time on a task, visualize its future impact on you, your stakeholders, and your business. If you don’t see a long-term impact, consider passing.
- are you the right person to do this task? If not, consider whether you can delegate to someone else.
- did you agree to take on this task for the right reasons? You may have told yourself, “People will think I’m rude if I say no,” or “My direct reports are too busy to do this.”If you said yes for the wrong reasons, chances are you’re the wrong person for the Job
Don’t do every task: we’ve learnt in the recent health crisis that if you focus on the important things, that’s what matters
This tip is adapted from “If You’re Overworked, Learn Which Tasks to Hand Off,” by Sabina Nawaz
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