In today’s society, everything is a “priority”. To know what actions really demand my focus and which ones could sit on the shelf for a while takes some major balance. What is a “priority”? My personal working definition has become, “An action that requires my immediate 100% attention.” By placing boundaries around myself, I’m guaranteed to get more accomplished. Here are a few points I use to determine my priorities for the day.

[clickToTweet tweet=”People’s lack of preparation shouldn’t define your priorities. People won’t change if you crater.” quote=”People’s lack of preparation shouldn’t define your priorities. People won’t change if you crater.”]

1. Who owns this project?
Sometimes people place a demand on you to accomplish things for them. As much as I enjoy helping, and want to help, I must first realize I have my own list of things to accomplish. I place their task on a separate list and accomplish part of it when I get to that place in my day.

2. To-do or Today that is the question…
Patrick Lencioni (@patricklencioni) talks about the great concept that you will forever have a to-do list. Like God’s love, it’s never ending. Instead of feeling overwhelmed for not completing your whole to-do list, keep one large list and pull tasks over to a “Today List”. I’ve used a few different apps to help organize these tasks. Todoist is my app of choice these days. Whether it’s with a phone or a post-it note, find what works for you.

3. What can I do to keep the ball rolling?
A leader is only as good as their team. Due to my current position, I have a lot of team members who rely on me to complete tasks so they can keep moving on their own projects. I always like to accommodate the team at the start of my day. When the team wins, I win. Keep them moving and see productivity go to the next level.

If you don’t have a plan, then you don’t care about your purpose. Take the time at the start of your day (or the night before in my case) and write down what’s important, and what needs to get accomplished. It will keep you on track and help you get things done.