Not Everything Can Be the Most Important
(and why sticking to priorities matters more than you think)
This topic came up again because - well - this is just the kind of week it's been. Also because I typically read one non-fiction that is work related and one fiction just for me. But, this week, my non-fiction is historical accounts of the trade patterns of certain pirates and I just couldn't make that work on this platform other than to say - recognize the patterns in your work and change the ones that aren't producing. đ
Anyway, I know weâve all been there. The client email flagged as âurgent.â The new project that just canât wait. The family issue that suddenly trumps everything else.
Pretty soon, everything feels like the most important thing. And when everything is the most important, nothing truly is.
As leaders and teams, the ability to prioritize â and then stick to those priorities â is not just a productivity hack. Itâs a leadership skill, a communication tool, and a way to protect the health of both people and projects.
We've talked about why this is important to a team at large, but letâs talk about why this matters so much as an individual.
The Hidden Cost of âEverything Nowâ
When priorities arenât clear or are constantly shifting, you are just writing yourself an invitation to the Burnout Party:
Decision fatigue â You spend more time bouncing between thinking about how to approach the multitude of tasks than you do getting work done.
Increased stress - You can see things piling up and that you're not getting anywhere.
Lower quality â Rushed deliverables pile up because thereâs no time to do them well.
In other words, âeverything is urgentâ doesnât just slow work down. It chips away at your confidence, your quality of output, and your inner peace.
Why We Struggle to Prioritize
If prioritization is so powerful, why do we avoid it?
Fear of Missing Out What if the thing you donât prioritize is the one that changes everything
Pressure from Above Executives, boards, and clients all want their requests to be #1.
Conflict Avoidance Prioritizing means saying ânot nowâ â and that can feel like letting someone down.
The reality is this: the longer we put off prioritizing the work we have, the higher the level of self-sabotage. (đ¶ track) And ânot nowâ or "this first" is sometimes the most important decision youâll make for yourself.
How to Set Priorities That Stick
Hereâs a simple framework I use with clients to bring clarity to the chaos:
(AND MYSELF - like, totally had to sit myself down this week and remind me to follow my own advice with a GET IT TOGETHER WOLF! Yes, I know my last name is Kilpatrick now, but that is a LOT to shout at myself!)
1. Identify What Actually Moves the Needle
Not all tasks have equal impact. Ask:
Does this directly support our strategic goals?
Does this have a mandated / already promised deadline?
Will this help the business, team, or my personal sanity meet the mark in measurable ways?
Is this truly urgent, or just loud?
2. Limit the Number of Priorities
Research shows that when teams have more than 3â5 core priorities, focus drops sharply. If you have 12 â#1 projects,â you donât have priorities â you have a to-do list. Depending on the size of the items, individual priorities may be as low as 1-3.
Is this per day or per week? It doesn't matter so much the day or week - it's the hours involved. If an item for completion is the most important and it's going to take 30 hours of work, that's a per week. If the priority is 3 hours of work... that's a day.
3. Communicate Relentlessly
Prioritization only works if everyone knows it. Donât just decide â share. Repeat. Reinforce. A weekly check-in on âwhatâs #1â helps align the your universe. If you're a team of 1 - reinforce the priority to yourself: prioritize your list, block the appropriate amount of time on your calendar, breaking it down to a certain number of hours per day, and maybe even let the other people (or cats / dogs) in your house know that this item will be taking your time.
4. Protect the Boundaries
Shiny new ideas will pop up. Emergencies will surface. That doesnât mean priorities go out the window. Protect the focus youâve created, and if priorities truly change, reset them openly and transparently.
Take a few minutes each morning to compare your existing list, your new items, and your prioritization. Not to shuffle priorities - just to remind yourself of the existing priorities and allow yourself appropriate contemplation before responding to new requests. Some people prefer to do this at the end of each day - if that works, do it! I prefer morning because new things have come in and honestly, at the end of the day, I'm just ready to be done.
The Discipline of Sticking With It
Prioritization isnât a one-time event. Itâs a discipline.
It requires courage to say ânot now.â
It requires clarity that comes from review to remember what matters most.
It requires consistency to resist chasing every new shiny thing.
When you stick with priorities, you're doing great things for yourself. You're keeping the calm. You're achieving goals. And you're lining yourself up for clear communication. Perfect Zen. It sounds hokey, but I'm 100% serious - this is self-care and it sets you up for more success.
Working on everything at once actually means nothing gets done or doesn't get done well. While it may not seem like it should be true, the irony is that by doing less at once, you actually deliver more overall. This is true at the individual level, the team level, and the corporate level.
I've seen this on repeat. (I've also seen the catastrophe of trying to do too much too fast far too many times.) When you allow for focus, commit to priorities, and get everyone on the same page:
Delivery times drop
Quality improves
Morale skyrockets, because employees finally finish what they start
The Leadership Lesson
Our new good friend BrenĂ© Brown says, âClear is kind. Unclear is unkind.â
Prioritization is clarity. And clarity is kindness â both to yourself and to those who can be affected by you.
Not everything can be the most important. Thatâs not failure; thatâs leadership.
Call to Action
This week, I challenge you to look at your projects, tasks, and commitments.
đ Ask yourself: If I / we could only accomplish 3 things this quarter, what would they be?
Then, share those priorities with whoever needs to know. Stick to them. Protect them. And watch what happens when focus replaces chaos.
And - of course - if you would like help working through your prioritization and getting your world on a more even keel, drop us a line! support@wolfdiversified.com
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