How to Set Priorities When Everything Feels Urgent (7 Steps)
The problem with “everything is urgent”
If your day is a wall of red-flag tasks, you’re not alone. The real challenge isn’t more hours—it’s clarity. The steps below help you cut noise, align your calendar with outcomes, and protect focus. Adapted from Andrea Petrone’s practical guidance for leaders and operators.
1) Don’t start with tasks—start with outcomes
Ask: “What does success look like this week?”
When you’re clear on results, you can drop everything that doesn’t serve them. Remember: busyness ≠ progress.
Try this: Write a one-sentence Weekly Outcome (WO). Example: “Ship the client proposal v1 that answers all decision-maker objections.”
2) Use the Impact vs Effort filter
Not all tasks are equal. Sort everything into four buckets:
- High impact / low effort: do first
- High impact / high effort: plan and schedule
- Low impact (any effort): question if it’s worth doing at all
Try this: Keep a 2×2 board (whiteboard or digital). If a task isn’t high-impact, it needs a strong reason to exist.
3) Prioritize people, not just projects
Some of your most valuable work is invisible: building trust, clarifying direction, unblocking teammates. Your calendar should reflect people-work, not only deliverables.
Try this: Block two 25-minute “enablement” sessions per day for quick clarifications and unblocks.
4) Choose three priorities per day—max
The brain isn’t built for ten “urgent” tasks. Pick three meaningful priorities; everything else is a bonus, not the baseline.
Try this: Name your Big 3 before 9:30 a.m. If a new item jumps the queue, consciously replace one of the three.
5) Say “not now” without guilt
You don’t have to say “no” forever—just not now.
Use lines like:
- “Happy to revisit this next week.”
- “This deserves full attention; I can’t offer that today.”
Protect priorities by protecting focus.
6) Share your focus with your team
Tell people what you’re working on and why. You’ll get alignment, accountability, and fewer interruptions. You can’t lead with clarity if you prioritize in silence.
Try this: Post your Weekly Outcome + Big 3 in your team channel every Monday.
7) Run a weekly “noise vs. value” review
Every week, reflect:
- What was the most valuable thing I did?
- What could I drop with no consequence?
Over time, you’ll spot true priorities faster.
Quick checklist (copy/pin this)
- Write your Weekly Outcome
- Sort tasks by Impact vs Effort
- Block people-work (trust, direction, unblocks)
- Choose the daily Big 3
- Use “not now” scripts
- Share priorities with your team
- Do the Friday review
Hard truth: You don’t need more hours. You need clarity on what truly moves the needle.
FAQs
How do I decide my Weekly Outcome?
Tie it to one measurable result (shipped artifact, decision reached, customer milestone). If it’s a vague activity, it’s not an outcome.
What if my stakeholders keep adding “urgent” work?
Acknowledge, restate your current outcomes, and offer a “not now” slot. Escalate only when the new request has higher impact than an existing Big 3.
Is three priorities too few for senior roles?
Three is the daily focus cap, not the total number of tasks. You can do more; you’re committing to finishing three that matter.
How do I make people-work visible?
Create brief enablement tickets/notes: “Unblocked team on X” or “Aligned stakeholders on scope Y.” Log them in your weekly review.
What tool should I use for Impact vs Effort?
Any board (Notion, Trello, whiteboard) with a simple 2×2 view. The discipline matters more than the tool.
