Prioritizing is about figuring out the few key things that are most important in your role. As a manager, you’ll be faced with several tasks to get done at any given time. How you select the priority order in which these tasks will be completed will affect your success. To prioritize successfully, make a to-do list of tasks that you must perform and then assign each task a priority; then focus on accomplishing only one task at a time to avoid errors and save time.

Assign a high, medium, or low priority to each activity to determine the level or sequence for completion: Delegate (D) priority: If the answer to question 1 is no, the task is delegated, and it is not necessary to answer questions 2 and 3. However, planning how to delegate the task now becomes a priority. High (H) priority: Assign the task a high priority if you answer yes to all three questions. Try not to have too many Hs, because you will lose focus on what is really important.

Medium (M) priority: Assign the task a medium priority if you answer yes to question 1 but no to one of the remaining two questions. Low (L) priority: Assign the task a low priority if you answer yes to question 1 but no to both questions 2 and 3. Update the prioritized to-do list and add new tasks. The so-called emergencies and urgent things can often wait.