1.
How to Prioritize Tasks
Garland Coulson, “Captain Time”

2.
Task Overload!
• Where to start?

3.
Define Priority Tasks
• More important than other tasks

4.
How Do You Determine Priority?

5.
Step 1: Ask Your
Manager
• Request that your
manager assign
priority levels when
giving you tasks

6.
Step 2: Priority by Inference
• What if your manager is
unresponsive or says
“everything is a priority”?
• Listen to what they ask most
about or pay attention to what
they most focus on

7.
Step 3: Focus on Money
• Tasks that make or save your firm
money tend to take priority over
general administrative type tasks

8.
Step 4: Focus on Existing Customers
• Tasks that keep customers happy also tend to be high priority

9.
Step 5: Is the Task Blocking Others?
• Look for tasks that
others are waiting on to
do their work and make
them higher priority

10.
Step 6: Marketing Tasks
• Marketing tasks are your source for new customers and new money
so also very important

11.
Step 7: Ask Yourself
• If you could only do one task today,
which is the most critical to get
done?

12.
Priority Task Checklist
Manager says it is important
Management focuses on this area
Relates to Money
Relates to Customer satisfaction
Relates to Marketing
Keeps others from proceeding
If I could only do one task today, this would be it
Tick all boxes that apply. The more boxes ticked, the higher the priority

13.
Priority Tasks Take Precedence!
• Make sure they are at the top of
your todo list or task
management system

14.
• I offer Time Management coaching
and consulting and I work with both
individuals and groups
• Contact me for a FREE 20 minute
consultation on how I can help
CAPTAINTIME.COM
NEED HELP WITH PRIORITIES?