What do you do? Every person who brings you an assignment or gives you a task to perform says, “It’s important” or tells you they need it now. Here are some general guidelines. Use the ones that best fit your situation.

• Ask for specific deadlines—not a.s.a.p.
• Prioritize actions and tasks by the deadline date.
• Ask the group to decide the order of priorities and then tell you.
• Do the work first for the person who gives your performance evaluation. (Seriously!) Unless that individual tells you they don’t mind if their project comes second in line.
• Make deadlines for all projects public information by sharing a “status update” sheet weekly with the team. Only list the major projects, for whom, the due date and status.
• Make your own decision and stand by it.

Typically:

An “A” priority means extreme importance. (Should be done today!)

A “B” priority means this is important but could wait until tomorrow. (Think within the next 48 hours.)

A “C” priority means should be done within the next 3 to 4 weeks. The best
practice is to determine your coding system along with your executive. What do they think A, B, and C means in terms of timing.

Tip: Always work on the A’s before going to C’s, even though the “C” may be more fun!