How to Prioritize at Work

As I mentioned in the Smart Questions post, your supervisor will gain confidence in you when you can demonstrate that you are actively thinking about your work from all angles.

One way you can demonstrate this is by prioritizing your work. Here are three questions you can ask yourself to help set your priorities:

What task is the easiest?

Sometimes it just makes sense to do the easiest project first, especially if you can do it while taking a break from something more strenuous.

When is the deadline for the task?

This is the easiest way to think about priorities. If you complete assignments in the order they are due, you'll set yourself up to meet all of your deadlines. But in some offices, hard deadlines are not as important as supervisor interest...

Is my supervisor especially interested in this task?

Let's say you're assigned a new task, but it's not due for more than a month. You have other deadlines that are fast-approaching, so you hold off on this new task. This seems like a logical prioritization, until you realize the new task is more important to your supervisor. A couple of days later, she asks how that new assignment is going. A week later, she wants another update. 

Just because you have a long deadline doesn't mean it should always end up on the bottom of the priority list. If have a long deadline but your supervisor finds this new task important or interesting, you should consider moving this task up in your priority list. You probably don't have to finish it well ahead of the deadline but plan to tackle a little bit at a time so that you have something to report when your supervisor asks for informal progress reports. 

How do you know if you're supervisor is taking a special interest in a new project?

• She comes right out and says, "This is the most important thing you're working on."
• She talks about the new project often and mentions it in passing to you and others in the office.
• She says her supervisor is interested in the project and is aware that you're contributing to it.
• She tells you that your work will directly affect a client.
• She names one of your co-workers that cannot get started on their part of the project until you're done with yours.