5 Key Questions for Setting Priorities

“We must give a lot of thought to the future, because that is where we are going to spend the rest of our lives.”

• The first 20% of any task usually accounts for 80% of the value of that task.
• Once you begin working on that task, the first 20% of the time that you spend planning and organizing the resources necessary to achieve the task usually accounts for 80% of your success.

In setting priorities, always focus on the first 20% of the task. Get on with it and get it done. The next 80% will tend to flow smoothly once the first 20% is complete.

While setting priorities, never give in to the temptation to clear up small things first. 

Don’t allow yourself to get bogged down in low-priority activities. 

• Why am I on the payroll? Ask yourself if what you are doing right now is the most important thing that you have been hired to do.
• What are my highest value activities?
• What are my key result areas? What are the specific results that you have to get in order to do your job in an excellent fashion.
• What can I, and only I, do that if done well will make a real difference?
• What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?