First Things First
Early in my career, I reported to a newly-promoted manager. We would meet weekly to go over all the things he wanted me to accomplish. I would write everything down and leave the meeting with a list that covered the front and back of a sheet of paper, perhaps 50 items. One day, frustrated that I could never complete all the tasks on the list, I asked him to help me assign the appropriate percentage of my time I should spend on each project. He said "This is pretty important, spend 20% on this, 30% on this, 5% on this, this one is not critical, so 1% on this, etc...". I left the office with about 275%. Hmm, I thought, that really backfired.
The following week I tried a different tactic. Writing out the list as usual, I then spun the paper around, slid it across the table, and said, "There are 50 things on this list. You cross out 47 of them, and I will hit a home run on each of the other 3." From that moment on we maintained a clear understanding of what was "must do" [had to be 'A+' and on time], and what was "nice to do" [‘C+’ work will suffice and no one would be too upset if it’s late]. The impact on my productivity of knowing (and agreeing upon) what was really important and focusing attention and effort on those few things, without getting distracted by less valuable tasks was profound. I have used that lesson in prioritization throughout my own career and whenever I mentor others.
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