Prioritising is how we rank what we want or need to do. However, what are the factors which influence the order we action our list of priorities?

1. The order of things

2. Sometimes, while doing something, we often find ourselves thinking we should be doing
something else, even if the former is less important than the latter. We then end up
accumulating things to do, because what we’ve chosen to do first, seems to be taking time (if
not days!) to complete and somehow, we aren’t able to start anything else until this is done.
Eventually, we become overwhelmed by the amount of things we need to do and conclude
that we need to learn how to prioritise. But what is it ‘prioritising’?
The order of things
www.angelabelotti.com

3. Prioritising is how we rank what we want or need to do. However, what defines that ranking
order in our mind?
Common sense tells us that it is by the level of importance each task has for us at any given
point in time or context. In simple words, what is a ‘must,’ a ‘should’ and a ‘nice to have.’ Yet,
we often find ourselves doing something which is of minor importance.
So, what are the factors which influence the order we action our list of priorities?
Let’s explore some of them.
Prioritising
www.angelabelotti.com

4. We have a long list of things to do and we are clear about their order of importance. Yet, when
the factor of time comes into play, that priority order is ‘re-ordered.’ It is as though the
concept of time compresses our neat list of priorities into an amorphous cluster of things to
do. If you also factor in ‘urgency,’ which our mind seems to easily translate as ‘Get everything
done NOW!’ this overrides the original importance of each item.
I always consider that time is a concept we create, and as such, we’re also able to modify that
concept to suit our needs. Here’s an easy example.
Time
www.angelabelotti.com

5. Consider your list of things to do and then prioritise them. Now, add a time factor to this order
of things, eg, to be done today. If, through doing this, you suddenly lose the priority of
importance and start actioning an item which shouldn’t be prioritised, expand that time to
consider the same list of priorities within the context of completing them within a week
timeframe.
This will enable you to maintain some of the initial order, while possibly reducing the level of
importance of some of the items on your priority list.
Time
www.angelabelotti.com

6. Well… one drives the other, so we can’t really separate them. But what have our human needs
got to do with prioritising?
If you consider that our actions are driven by our human needs (i.e. physiological needs, safety
needs, belongingness & love needs, esteem needs and self-actualisation), the importance of
meeting them defines the importance of what we actually action, regardless of the initial
priority order we established in our mind.
Here’s an easy example...
Needs vs Motivation
www.angelabelotti.com

7. An easy example...
What’s more important to you, helping your friend or writing a report?
In your mind, you would probably prioritise ‘helping my friend’ over ‘writing a report.’
However, when it comes to taking action, you’ll probably end up writing the report first if you
know that an incomplete report undermines the security of your current job.
Needs vs Motivation
www.angelabelotti.com

8. If we do not see or feel the value of doing something, we might do it once or twice but
eventually lose the will to continue doing it. This is because that task or action has lost its
importance. It is meaningless. So, when we define our list of priorities in our mind, the value
that each subsequent action creates for others, and subsequently for us, will eventually take
over the order of the original priorities.
It is that value that brings about meaning in what we do. It is that value that determines the
most important actions to accomplish from the list of priorities in our mind.
Value… to whom?
www.angelabelotti.com

9. As human beings, we are very good at overloading our ‘to-do’ list and, usually, it doesn’t take
too long to define in our mind what has to be done first, second and so on. Yet, when it comes
to the moment of taking action, the priority order easily changes. This doesn’t necessarily
define a lack in our prioritising skills, but possibly an increased awareness of what’s really key
for us to action first.
The point is not to force ourselves to accomplish what we originally thought was more
important, but to realise the change in our priority order, become aware of the possible
reasons for it and improve our original order of things to enable us to accomplish them easily.
The order of things
www.angelabelotti.com

10. The order of things
www.angelabelotti.com