Prioritization is not easy as a knowledge worker.
You usually have too many things on your plate to choose just one.
Here, I share a mental model that simplifies it.
I Know How You Feel
- Should I do this or that?
- Should I begin doing this?
- Should I stop doing that?
Don’t panic. I’ve been there.
What Is Prioritization at Its Simplest Concept?
Reducing things to their simplest concept usually works.
Life can be as simple as you want.
It’s your brain that complicates it.
Prioritization means doing this instead of that. Period.
Why Simplicity Is Worth It
I’ve dedicated my whole life to simplifying it.
I love simple things because it equals peace of mind.
That’s how I ended up defining “the rule of delaying things”.
The Easiest Rule to Prioritize Your Stuff
I always try to reduce my decision-making process to a binary end.
Choosing between A or B, 0 or 1 is pretty straightforward.
Whenever I face something I have to prioritize, I always ask myself this question:
Do I have to do this now?
Some Examples
When seeing an email, ask yourself:
Should I reply to this email now or today? If not, delay it.
When seeing a task, think:
Should I start doing this right now? If not, choose another one.
Consequences
By forcing yourself to apply this mental model, there’s a moment where there are things you cannot delay any more. You have to do them right now. You have no option.
That’s your priority without hesitation after cleaning up everything by delaying things.
Don’t See It as a Procrastination Approach
You should be responsible for your actions and their consequences at a certain age.
A “not now” should take this into account.
This is not an excuse to run away. It’s a prioritization Swiss Army knife.
Takeaways
- This mental model is an easy and intuitive way of filtering.
- It never fails because it forces you to handle with a simple binary decision:
- Should I do this NOW or NOT?
Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash.