Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog! Today, we’re here to discuss the importance of being able to prioritize tasks at work. It is the reality that you will often be spread amongst several different responsibilities and expectations, and knowing when to choose a task over another is crucial to your professional success. Keep reading to find out how to prioritize obligations at work today…

Prioritizing Tasks Effectively…

Communicate: Step one to achieving an eloquent prioritization of tasks is keeping your team, and most importantly your manager, in the loop about what’s going on. Let’s pretend we’ve encountered an unforeseen situation (like we discussed Tuesday), which prohibits your ability to attend work the next day. First, acknowledge the impact of deadlines and due dates – what must be submitted first? Are you missing a deadline? Are you simply falling behind and can make up for lost time throughout the week? These types of questions will help you understand whether or not it’s time to talk to your team about the next step… delegation.
Delegate: Step two is to delegate your obligations to the rest of your team and management resources. Can another teammate begin presenting your slides will you gather yourself? Can another teammate finish a task and submit it in your absence in order to avoid missed due dates? If the answer to these questions is yes, then make sure to immediately reach out to the appropriate resources to get things moving.
- Extra tip: This is an awesome example of why it is so important to establish open-ended and trusting behaviors with your team when you join a company! Doing so will pave the way for productive conversations like these in the future when mistakes, missed days, absences, and other mishaps inevitably come up.
- Always remember those teammates who stepped up to help when you were in need… and always return their favors!
Compensate: Step three: compensate your teammates, manager, or anyone else who stepped in to help you. Whether this looks like a thank you note, treating someone to coffee, offering to make up lost time, stepping up to take on additional work in the next progress, offering gratitude will leave a lasting positive impression on those around you.

Remember, making mistakes, missing deadlines, and overcoming unforeseen circumstances are a part of life. Properly handling the situation is the most crucial aspect of preserving your professional reputation with your teammates and manager. So, make sure to follow along with these three easy steps, and you’ll effectively prioritize in no time!

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