Why I Double Down on Prioritization to Be More Productive
By: Brian Early
Tags: Work, Productivity, Time Management, Career Advice, Self

A few years ago, I found myself feeling completely overwhelmed by my mounting todo list. Endless meetings to attend, emails awaiting a response, plus my own work to complete, and oh yeah this thing called a personal life would be nice to have.

I had taken a promotion requiring me to move overseas and added a lot of new responsibilities. If you’ve ever moved or taken on a new job, you know either of these are stressful enough on their own. Trying to do both at once in a foreign country is exponentially more stressful. I knew I needed to do something different.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with plenty of apps and techniques to boost my productivity. All in the hopes that I could save a bit more time, add more value, and in general, reduce a bit of the stress associated with deadlines.

According to Statista, I’m not alone, as more than 76% of smartphone users have some sort of productivity app on their phones. Add the constantly evolving list of time-saving techniques, and it’s clear we’re all searching for ways to get ahead of our todo lists and take back control of our time.

I found no matter what I tried, it never seemed to be enough. Sure, I found ways to manage projects better, efficiently juggle a busy schedule, and create more focus in my day. But I was only saving minutes, or hours at best, when I needed to be saving days.

I decided to reflect both on the various tools I had been using to be more productive as well as how those more successful than myself manage their time.

I came to two conclusions 1) most productivity trends tend to focus on how to get work done while 2) truly successful people focus on what work should get done.

I knew then if I wanted to take back control of my time, I needed to double down on prioritizing what was on my backlog.

Early on, I realized this is much easier said than done. It’s easy to prioritize between what’s critical and not so critical. And there are plenty of tools to help you make those decisions.

What I want to share with you is how to save days of productivity and prioritize between more than one crucial task and another.

Know what matters most to you

Whether it’s in life or work, you’re going to be pulled in different directions by everyone else’s priorities. To keep your head above water, you need to know what’s important to you, what you stand for, and who you are.

Create guideposts based on your priorities, so when something new comes along, you can instinctively know if it falls in the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ pile.

Relocating from the US to Europe I knew a significant guidepost for me was work-life balance. With my new double down philosophy, I knew I needed to carefully consider anything that posed a risk to the balance I was seeking.

I began saying no to side projects or additional meetings which would have me regularly working late or eating up “my time.” In the past, I would have accepted feeling it was necessary to build my career or be a team player. I focused on giving my full attention and effort to only my most important projects.

The choice won’t always be easy for you, but cutting out what doesn’t fit with your priorities will free up more of your time and brain space than any app or time management technique can shave off.

With more time on your hands, you’ll quickly find you have more energy, become more productive, and deliver better work. Your colleagues will realize they can trust and depend on you to get done what you’ve committed to so they can focus elsewhere. They thanked me for it, and they’ll thank you for it as well.

Get comfortable saying no

Knowing your priorities is the first step towards improving your productivity. The second is saying no, often, to what’s not important. However, saying no all the time can become almost as stressful as the thought of completing your current todo list.

I found this out when trying to hold to another one of my priorities in my new role. My inbox was being filled up with requests, leaving me little time for my own project teams.

I’ve always believed in a people-first approach. I knew in order to be true to myself it was crucial I continue to do so now. I had to make it clear any requests that interfered with my teams’ needs would have to be declined.

During this time, I found a couple of tricks that helped me get comfortable saying ‘no.’

The first is finding creative ways to say ‘no.’ Let them know if they want you involved in Project A, they will need to give up your involvement elsewhere. But be specific about whether it’s Project B, C or D they would need to give up.

This way, you stay true to your priorities, keep your workload under control, and also help them to determine what’s really important.

The second comes with time but has the most substantial impact; consistently stick to your priorities. You and your colleagues will realize when you say ‘no’ to one thing you’re actually saying ‘yes’ to so much more.

You’re saying yes to your best work, yes to supporting your team, and yes to being more productive. Over time your coworkers will understand your priorities and only come to you with the things you already want to say ‘yes’ to.

Invest your time now to make time for tomorrow

Defining your priorities requires proactivity and an upfront investment of your time. The same is true when it comes to implementing them. You’ll feel uncomfortable the first few times you say ‘no’ to someone. But putting in the time and effort to decide what’s essential and have a few difficult conversations now will be an investment that pays dividends in the future.

Being productive requires you have the time, energy, and focus to bring your best self to the table and get things done. When you prioritize, you make this possible.

Don’t wait for your backlog to fill up or your calendar to get swamped with meetings. Begin to invest your time today to decide what you should be doing so you can spend less time worrying about how you’ll get it done.