3 WAYS TO PRIORITIZE & TAKE CONTROL OF THE OVERWHELM
Prioritizing is the key to converting a long, overwhelming to-do list into a well-run business. But how do we decide what gets prioritized first, second, third, etc. What criteria do we use to keep ourselves in check and not lose our heads?
My suggested priority categories for you are these: immediate term, short term, and long term.
Immediate priority action items. They are easy. They are fast. You know how to do them. They may be personally interesting and exciting for you. They are no-brainers.
An example of an immediate priority action item would be to create your email signature. You know you should have one, you know it’s important, you know it will take you only a few minutes, but you just haven’t made time for it because other things got in the way. The timing of an immediate priority action item is about one week.
Short-term priority action items. Your short-term priorities take a bit longer to accomplish, they may be more complex, and they may require planning and research.
How do you decide which items are more important than others? In other words, within this group of priority, how do you prioritize it even further? Here are the criteria I use and advise my clients, as part of my mentoring program.
i. Which activity will cost the least and bring the biggest result?
ii. Which one have I been wanting to do for a long time?
iii. Which one can I execute consistently?
A great example of a short-term priority is doing your email newsletter (e-zine).
Long-term priority action items. Everything that didn’t make it into the immediate and short-term priority lists falls in this list. But long-term doesn’t mean never, or someday. It still needs a date. I recommend that you strive to accomplish your long-term list within 90 to 120 days.
A good example of a long-term priority action item may be booking a speaking engagement.
Those were your three priority categories: immediate, short-term, and long-term. Regardless of when you’ll tackle your priorities, they all fall within the marketing pie. It doesn’t matter whether you are a seasoned designer or just starting out, the marketing pie doesn’t change – what does change is your knowledge and experience with each “slice of the pie.”
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