Kanban apps also work really well for this technique. Delegate D tasks and delete E tasks so you're left with A, B, and C tasks only, then work from the top down to make sure you're always focusing on your most important tasks. The process for ABCDE is the same as it is for MoSCoW: Go through every task on your list, assign it a letter based on its priority, then sort your tasks by letter. Similar to MoSCoW, the ABCDE method starts with putting each task on your list into a category:Ī tasks are things you must do (same as MoSCoW's M tasks).ī tasks are things you should do (same as MoSCoW's S tasks).Ĭ tasks are nice-to-dos (same as MoSCoW's C tasks).ĭ tasks are tasks you should delegate to someone else (or automate).Į tasks are tasks you should eliminate (same as MoSCoW's W tasks). An alternative is Brian Tracy's ABCDE method from his book Eat That Frog. That makes MoSCoW great if you don't have anyone to delegate to, but if you can delegate tasks, it makes it unclear which tasks should be delegated. One thing the MoSCoW method doesn't account for is tasks you need to delegate to someone else. You can also drag and drop tasks up and down within lists to specify the order in which you want to work on them.
Create a master list of unsorted tasks and then drag each task into the appropriate category. If you're always working on your list from the top-down, you can ensure that you're always working on your highest-priority tasks.Ī Kanban app like Trello (free plan available) works well for the MoSCoW method. Those are followed by S tasks, which are followed by C tasks. To use this technique, go through your to-do list and assign each task a MoSCoW category. W – Won't Do: W tasks are things that just aren't worth doing. You'd like to do them, but if you don't it's probably not a big deal. S – Should Do: S tasks are things you should do, but they're a lower priority than M tasks.Ĭ – Could Do: C tasks are nice-to-dos. M – Must Do: M tasks are things you absolutely have to do. The MoSCoW method (pronounced like Russia's capital city) is a simple prioritization technique where you assign every task on your to-do list to one of four categories:
Luckily, there are plenty of prioritization techniques to consider in your quest to find a method that works for you. Focus on Your Most Important Work with These 9 Prioritization Techniquesįinding the right prioritization technique is personal: The method you choose has to make sense and feel right. You can use it to manage priorities with your boss, coworkers, family, and even that part of your brain that's always on the lookout for new ideas for things to do/new ways to procrastinate that deter you from accomplishing important work. When stakeholders showed up with new, urgent requests, we simply showed them the prioritized list and asked, "What should we cut in order to accommodate this request?" After seeing the importance of the other things on the list, urgent requests often suddenly became much less urgent.īut it doesn't only work in product development. When I worked in product development, our prioritized lists were our shields against delays and distractions. It's easier to feel justified in declining a meeting invite or delaying an answer to an email when you know exactly what you need to be focused on and why.Įverything is critical! If you feel like you spend your day fighting fires because everything everyone asks you to do is "urgent," a prioritized list can help you regain control of your time and push back against unreasonable last-minute panic assignments. Should you really go to that meeting/answer that email? If you let other people create your to-do list for you via meeting requests and incoming emails, you'll never get your important work done. Prioritization techniques address two key issues: The process of prioritizing lets you make informed decisions about what you need to do, what you don't need to do, and when you need to focus on certain tasks. Which one is the most important?Ī prioritization technique helps you answer that question by providing you with a formal method for evaluating the necessity of completing each task on your list. When everything on your to-do list feels like it's of crucial importance (or when someone you answer to feels that way), it's time to use one or more prioritization techniques to make your to-do list more manageable and conquerable. And we all accept that fact and live with its reality until the worst-case scenario rears its ugly head: There's not enough time to do everything you have to do. There's never enough time to do everything you want to do.
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