Priority Setting

Depending on where you are in the semester or at what stage of your academic career you're at, there are going to be periods where you experience an increase in competing commitments. It can be incredibly challenging to decide what to do first.

How to navigate this challenge: Seek assistance from your supports, such as your class dean or an academic coach, to discuss how to approach your competing demands.

Sometimes you won't know what is expected of you, and it can impact your ability to know how to prioritize the task in relation to other commitments.

How to navigate this challenge: Reach out to the person who assigned the task or expectation, such as a professor or supervisor, to get clarification on what you need to do to complete the task. Make sure to be direct about what is confusing you when you ask for help.

There is such a thing as doing too much and using too many tools. Sometimes things slip through the cracks because you're using too many systems and they're not correctly synced.

How to navigate this challenge: Try to find one primary tool or method that you will use to put all your commitments into one place, then you can branch off as appropriate.

Examples:

• Use Microsoft 365 tools that are connected with your BMC email account, because these systems are all interconnected with each other, making it easier to have everything in one central place.
• If your preference is to use mostly hard or paper copies of books, readings, notes, and planners, then having a designated spot where all these things will live until you need them is important.

Good time management and prioritization skills come from having the ability to accurately assess how much effort a task will take and what level of impact it will have on your goals. Without being able to make these estimates reliably, you may misjudge your prioritization of your commitments.

How to navigate this challenge: Conduct a planned versus actual time audit to learn how much time you should allocate to completing similar tasks in the future.

The Eisenhower Matrix organizes your tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance.

How it works:

• Level 1 Priorities — Do First: These priorities are both urgent and important. Complete them immediately.
• Level 2 Priorities — Decide When to Do Them: These priorities are important, but not urgent. Schedule them for a specific time when you can give them the attention they deserve.
• Level 3 Priorities — Do Last / Delegate: These priorities are urgent but not important. Do them after your Level 1 priorities. In some instances, you may delegate them to someone else. Examples include finding another student to cover a work shift or asking a club member to get supplies so you can prioritize studying for an exam.
• Level 4 Priorities — Do Last / Eliminate or Adjust: These tasks are neither urgent nor important. Consider if they're actually priorities or if they might be time wasters or procrastination tools. Do you need to eliminate them entirely? Can you adjust them to better fit your needs? Can you do them last?

Benefit: This method helps you cut a long task list down to the tasks that require your most immediate attention.

The ABCDE Method assigns a letter grade to tasks based on their importance level.

How it works:

• A Tasks — Must Do: Highest priority tasks with higher consequences if not completed.
• B Tasks — Should Do: Important tasks, but not as critical as A tasks. Complete these after A tasks.
• C Tasks — Nice to Do: Tasks you can complete if you have time after A and B tasks are finished.
• D Tasks — Delegate: Tasks that can be handled by someone else so you can focus on more pressing priorities.
• E Tasks — Eliminate: Tasks that don't add value or prevent you from completing other important tasks, so they can be skipped.

Benefits: This method helps you decide what to tackle first, what can wait, and what can be let go of easily. It's easy to update as tasks are completed or new ones emerge, making it easier to stay focused on what matters.

The MoSCoW Method is similar to the ABCDE Method and is best for tasks you need to complete yourself, so it differs by eliminating the delegation option.

How it works:

• Must Do: Non-negotiable tasks that must be completed.
• Should Do: Important or urgent tasks, but not as critical as Must Do tasks. If not completed, they won't block your progress.
• Could Do: Desirable tasks completed only after more crucial (Must Do) and valuable (Should Do) tasks are finished.
• Won't Do: Tasks you can't or won't do, lack resources for, or are unnecessary. Removing them won't cause problems.

Benefits: If you have recurring or repeating tasks each day or week, this method helps you focus on what's important first. It works best for tasks that only you can accomplish.

The Eat the Frog Method was created by Brian Tracy based on a quote from Mark Twain. The method centers around starting your day or work period with the most difficult or important task, then doing everything else afterwards.

Why it works:

• Willpower and focus are highest earlier in the day or at the start of a work session for most people.
• Completing the hardest or most important task first can give you the motivation and momentum to carry you through other tasks.
• It prevents you from sidetracking a high-priority task to complete smaller, easier ones.

Best for: Individuals who struggle with procrastinating on high-stakes tasks or have a tendency to push the most important work to the end of the day.

The 1-3-5 Rule acknowledges that not all tasks carry the same weight or take the same amount of time to complete.

Structure:

• 1 Big Task: Your primary focus and the most important task to complete that day.
• 3 Medium Tasks: Secondary priorities that allow you to make meaningful progress on your goals. These might be follow-up items to the big task or tasks from ongoing projects.
• 5 Small Tasks: Lower-effort items you need to complete. These can be quick wins when motivation is needed.

Why it works: This method limits your to-do list to nine tasks, which feels more achievable and increases the likelihood of completing all or most of them.

Best for: People who have a tendency to over-plan or create lengthy, aspirational to-do lists and become frustrated by how few items they accomplish.

Timeboxing, also known as time-blocking or block scheduling, involves assigning a task or type of work to a specific, fixed block of time.

How it works:

• Put all non-negotiable blocks into your calendar, such as classes, work shifts, and recurring meetings.
• Assign longer blocks (90 minutes to 2 hours) to high-priority tasks.
• Assign shorter blocks (20 to 30 minutes) for smaller tasks or focused bursts.
• Schedule low-priority tasks, like checking email or scheduling appointments, into short, dedicated time slots so they don't overlap with deeper work blocks.
• Review what you accomplished at the end of each block, day, and week so you can adjust for next time.

Benefits: This method works as both a prioritization and focus technique by assigning tasks to work blocks when you have the right level of energy and focus.

Best for: Individuals who become overwhelmed or distracted by reactive work (like checking email or notifications) that interrupts planned priorities, and people who struggle with estimating how long tasks take.

The 2-Minute Rule uses a condensed period of time to start an activity or task. It's beneficial for anyone who struggles with the executive function of task initiation. There are two common approaches.

David Allen's 2-Minute Rule (for task completion)

How it works: If a task takes less than 2 minutes to complete and it has your attention or is in front of you, do it immediately.

Benefits:

• Keeps smaller tasks from accumulating and taking over your to-do list.
• Builds momentum and motivation to accomplish larger or more high-impact tasks.
• Clears physical and mental space that would otherwise distract you from more pressing priorities.

James Clear's 2-Minute Rule (for building habits)

How it works: When starting a new habit or routine, the first step should take less than 2 minutes to complete.

Benefits:

• Makes it easier to start a new habit because the commitment is small.
• Builds momentum and motivation to continue with the next step.
• Creates consistency by establishing easily accomplished rituals.

Examples:

• "Study for class" becomes "open my notes."
• "Clean my room" becomes "make the bed."