Ruthless Prioritization

This is something I heard Sheryl Sandberg say years ago that really stuck with me. It is a variation of “focus on impact” that helped me to make sense of how to approach the never-ending deluge of tasks before me. Rather than try to accomplish more, focus on less and do it better.

How I approach this in my work:

• bullet journal - I start each week jotting down the top three things I want to achieve for the week. You know something isn’t important if you get too lazy to move it from one week to the next.
• learn to say no - unless someone can explain why their ask is more valuable, your default answer should be “no.” You can’t make progress on your own goals if you are always working on someone else’s goals. By defaulting to “no,” you are holding others accountable to understanding the impact of the work they want done.
• keep practicing - prioritization is a skill, so I practice on the weekends. Every weekend is a balance between chores, events, and personal goals. What must I accomplish?