Business
How to Prioritize Tasks in the Workplace
American businesses lose over $600 billion a year due to low workplace productivity. This will soon translate into lower employee incomes.
If you’re an employee, then it is your responsibility to help improve productivity. You can do this by learning how to prioritize tasks in the workplace. This will help you get more done during the day and become a valuable asset to your company.
Keep reading for new ways to prioritize tasks in the workplace.
Break Down Your Goals
To prioritize tasks, break down your goals into smaller assignments. Next, focus on the workplace tasks that need to be done first. You can decide which tasks these are by considering which contribute to your goals the most.
Afterward, look at your schedule. Decide when you’ll have time to complete each of these tasks. Then, create a timeline for each project and get started right away.
Learn to Say No
You have to accept that your fellow team members aren’t always going to know what’s important from what isn’t. They need help prioritizing tasks of their own, so they’ll rely on you for assistance when necessary. That doesn’t mean that you have to say yes all the time.
If you have tons of other projects, you should only say yes if it aligns with your priorities and the company’s goals.
This applies to requests from your boss too. If their tasks conflict with critical projects, let them know you would like to respectfully decline.
Be sure to give a reason. Your boss will respect that you’re putting the company’s goals first.
Use a Timer to Keep You Focused
There are times in the workday when your coworkers want to chat or emails keep coming into your inbox. Timers help you ignore these workplace distractions.
Try setting the timer for 15 minutes and working on your task until it goes off. Then, you can take a break for 5 minutes to converse with coworkers and check emails. Repeat this cycle until your project is done.
Review Your Progress at the End of Each Day
Finally, it’s important to review your progress at the end of each day. This will allow you to see what worked and what didn’t. That way, you can adjust your approach for the next day.
As an added benefit, you’ll be able to reflect on how far you’ve come because of this new prioritizing method. You can keep track of your progress in a journal or use an app like Todoist or Wunderlist.
Learn How to Prioritize Tasks in the Workplace Like a True Professional
Now you know how to prioritize tasks in the workplace like a skilled employee. You no longer have to feel stressed because you’re trying to get too much done at once. Instead, you can feel confident that you’re moving toward your goals.
There are some days when you’ll have more to do than others. When you have a high-priority task that needs to be done quickly, it’s important to be able to adjust your goals to reflect that. Learn more about how to do this in our business section.
Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].
