When the House Spins - Re-learning Prioritisation

One of the most common concerns that leaders have expressed over the last while is that they no longer know how to prioritise. 

It seems that the pandemic, its longevity, the dramatic changes to the way we work, and the social implications have felt a bit like sitting inside a house while it spins around, and trying to figure out which direction it’s facing each time you open the front door.

This experience has made prioritising difficult because people aren’t sure of the full impacts of what has just happened or what to expect next.  This uncertainty can paralyse our ability to plan and diminish our confidence in the steps we need to take to get there.  This can lead to feelings of apathy and hopelessness because focus, direction and momentum seem impossible to achieve.

Prioritisation is an ability to know what’s most essential and where to direct your energy and the energy of those you lead.  It is linked to feeling productive and, as well as being key to day-to-day tasks, connects us to the organisation’s higher-order goals and strategy.  It also enables leaders to take advantage of opportunities and avoid being distracted by the wrong things.

The pandemic has changed us as individuals, disrupted markets and altered society.  Recognising these changes is crucial to re-learning prioritisation.  So is appreciating the unfolding nature of our new, constantly moving realities.

The Eisenhower Matrix has been the go-to prioritisation tool for decades.  Commonly referred to as the “urgent-important matrix”, it is a simple and effective decision-making tool in the form of a 2x2 matrix.  It can be used for mapping and categorising anything from simple tasks to bigger picture actions and initiatives. And yes, the Eisenhower in the name refers to the 34th President of the US who is credited with developing the tool.

There are versions of this matrix that help the user know what to do next once a task falls in a specific part of the diagram.  But perhaps what we need right now is a step before we draw the intersecting lines on the page so that decisions about what is urgent and what is important

The urgent/important matrix works from the assumption that you already know what is important.  A clear sign that you don’t is if you sit with the matrix in front of you and it still invokes the same feelings of procrastination and overwhelm that you had hoped it would help you solve.

 If this is the case for you, take a step back first to discover what is important.  What is important to your organisation and your team.  You may need new conversations with more diverse colleagues, customers and stakeholders.  Being curious, challenging assumptions, thinking in new ways will all help.  Agree on a structured approach and gain buy-in from those in your team.

 Taking this initiative can then be adapted into a five-step approach for prioritisation: 

1.  Determine what is important (because what is urgent usually makes itself known to you).

2. Use the Eisenhower Matrix to help you prioritise.

3. Take actions based on the quadrant in the matrix.

4. Hold onto old copies of your matrix to examine trends over time and gain insights into how your team spends its time.

5. Use these insights to help make new decisions about what is important in a rapidly changing world. And keep iterating!

None of us can guarantee the house will stop spinning, but maybe we can learn to respond more effectively to the changing view.