Managing Multiple Priorities.
Whose needs come first, when there are many?
If you find managing multiple priorities tricky, there are reasons.
Our brains are not wired to multi-task for one. Secondly, we work in a culture of faster, more, and better.
The reality of work is that it can seem like a list of endless priorities. Yet, more doesn’t necessarily equate to quality.
When you’re competent, you attract more responsibility.
For many people saying ‘no’ at work is uncomfortable, which makes it tricky to manage priorities.
That’s why it can be useful to flip the script. Instead of thinking ‘how do I say no’, try, ‘for me to say yes, what needs to be present?’
Examples:
For me to say yes, it needs to fall under compliance.
For me to say yes, I need a clear scope and three weeks notice.
For me to say yes, I need to have completed my non-negotiables first.
What do you notice, when you look at your ‘yes’ list? Does it seem more appealing to say yes to the right priorities now?
Three tips to manage other people's requests.
You don’t need to respond to a request straight away.
You can stop to pause before immediately replying to an email.
The next time someone asks you a question, invites you to a meeting, or sends you an email, pause for a few seconds until you find yourself being able to tune into your priorities before responding.
Give yourself a chance to ‘tune into’ what you need to do, before adding more onto your plate.
Start small with your ‘no’s’. For example, start saying no to low impact things that have little risk, to practise flexing your ‘no muscle’.
This’ll free up more time for you.
Another way of starting small is to slowly request your preferences. For example, if a friend asks you for coffee, instead of defaulting to yes on the location, ask for a cafe you like, just to practise asking for things you like.
Create a list of ‘non-negotiables’ vs ‘nice to have’ before saying yes.
If you aren’t clear on your non-negotiables for the day, this is a great place to start.
Creating a column with the two headings and simply checking the things you do each day or think about saying ‘yes’ to is a helpful start!
Whose priorities are whose?
Many people find it tough to differentiate between their priorities and someone else's, when there is lots going on.
The first step is to clarify your true non-negotiables, and those of your colleagues.
When you aren’t clear on your true non-negotiables, it makes it easier to get distracted and overwhelmed by others’ priorities.
Here are questions to consider:
What are my true non-negotiables? If you didn’t complete them, you wouldn’t be doing your job.
What are my boss’ priorities? If they didn't complete them, their job would be in jeopardy.
What priorities fall outside of my priorities, or my boss’? Why?
What priorities am I doing to maintain a relationship? Are there other ways to achieve this?
What do you notice when you do this quick check-in exercise?
Did you know we run this workshop at workplaces?
You get a guide to managing multiple priorities. You get the chance to document your non-negotiables and audit everything you’re working on.
You get tips on how to say ‘yes’ to the things that elevate your career and ‘no’ to other people's priorities.
The workshop also includes the online course, so you can watch short videos to refresh your memory on managing multiple priorities.