How do you manage prioritizing competing goals and objectives?

It can be helpful to evaluate the importance of each task when you have a list of urgent chores and need to choose which to prioritize. Give priority to the customer project, for instance, if you have two pressing tasks: one is a project for your clients and the other is a report you must write internally for your company. Make an estimation of how much time each task will take to help you prioritize if there are still chores that appear to be equally important. If you start with the things that are equally important but take the least amount of time to do, you might feel more motivated and energized.

Understanding the full breadth of what has to be accomplished is essential for effective prioritization; even the most routine chores should be recorded and taken into account. Include both personal and workday chores in one task list in order to provide oneself with a complete picture. Everything should be recorded in one location, from picking up your dry cleaning to scheduling a one-on-one appointment with your supervisor. After everything has been put in writing, tasks are usually prioritized based on their relevance, urgency, length, and reward.

Example Answer:

The first thing I do is take some time to sit down and make a list of all the goals and objectives I need to accomplish. I then rank them in order of relevance and urgency. I determine what must be done right away and what can wait. Basically, I divide everything into four quadrants using the Covey Time Management Matrix. This enables me to begin working on the most crucial issues. I also divide each objective into more manageable chores. This makes it easier for me to recognize what needs to be done to reach my goals and reduces my sense of overwhelm.