Updated July 24, 2021 618 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. Today I want to talk about the rather diverse word “priority”, which is used in law, science, traffic rules and dozens of other life situations.
What is it, what is the interpretation of the term in various fields and examples of its correct use in everyday life. Actually, this will be discussed in the next ten paragraphs.
Examples
To better understand what prioritization is, let's look at some very simple real-life examples:
Example 1. A person leaves for a few days on a business trip. In five minutes a taxi should come for him and take him to the airport. During this time, he will have time to either wash the dishes or water the flowers. What's more important?
Priority task: water the flowers. Nothing will happen to the dishes during these days, but the flowers may die.
Example 2. A man went to the supermarket to buy milk for his child and some spicy meat seasoning for himself. Suddenly he discovered that there was only enough money for one thing. What's better to buy?
Priority task: buy milk. Seasoning is not something necessary.
Example 3. A sales manager was going to clear corporate email of spam. At that moment, a regular customer called him and asked him to accept the order. What should you do now?
Priority task: take the order. This is the main responsibility of a manager.
Example 4. A young man graduated from university. He set himself two short-term goals: to find a high-paying job in his specialty and to raise money for a down payment on a mortgage. What should he think about first?
Priority goal: find a job. Without this, the second goal is unlikely to be realized.
Note that all the examples listed above are unambiguous and even a little exaggerated: in them it is immediately clear what is important and what is not.
However, in real life, priorities cannot always be determined by eye. Sometimes this requires carefully analyzing the situation, considering the consequences and weighing all the possible pros and cons.
It is also important to understand that the priority of any task is usually a subjective concept. In the same situation, for one person it will be important to “finish a project at work”, for another it will be “to go to training”, and for a third it will be “to go on a picnic with the family”. Here, a lot depends on the goals and values of the person, his character and personal qualities.
Meaning of the word
First of all, it must be said that this word came to us, like most other words, from the Latin language. Translated, prior means “first, senior.” So, what is priority, what does this word mean?
- This is a kind of temporary primacy in the implementation of a certain activity.
- Regarding scientific achievements, this is an invention, discovery (i.e. priority of discovery). On the date of this invention (the date of publication of information about the invention or the date of provision of information about it to third parties), certain authorities establish the emergence of the rights of the author.
- In jurisprudence, this is the primary meaning of a certain legal act.
- Regarding traffic rules, priority is the right to priority passage in relation to other road users.
After considering all the above explanations, it became extremely clear how this word should be understood. However, it is worth saying that it is most often used in everyday life and means the priority of something (or someone) in relation to the rest (rest).
Why you need to prioritize
Prioritization is a universal principle of time management. It works great at all levels of planning: from performing daily tasks to defining a life strategy.
Here are the main advantages that this principle provides:
1. Efficient use of resources. Our reserves of time, energy and other resources are always limited. As we complete our tasks, we gradually get tired, lose motivation and begin to think worse. We only have 24 hours in a day, of which 8 hours are spent sleeping. In addition, we are constantly short of money, materials, tools, labor, etc.
Prioritization allows you to manage these resources with maximum benefit. We do not waste them on trifles, but direct them to accomplish the tasks that are most important to us.
2. Improved results. The tasks facing us are very heterogeneous: some have a great impact on our lives, others have almost no impact on anything. If we, for example, learn a new professional skill, this will have a positive effect on our career. And if we wipe the dust off the bedside table, then it’s unlikely that anything will change in our lives.
By focusing on the tasks that most impact our lives, we can produce better results and achieve our goals faster.
3. Putting things in order. Modern man is faced with dozens and sometimes hundreds of tasks. As a result, he regularly experiences stress, “drowns” in business and does not know what to grab onto.
Prioritization is a kind of task filter. It separates those things that really need to be done from those things that can be safely put off or not done at all. This “filtering” reduces stress levels and helps you approach your tasks more calmly.
4. Achieving harmony in life. People's happiness largely depends on their ability to “walk the paths of their hearts.” And if they are doing something they don’t like, then even the most outstanding results in this area will not make them happy.
Prioritizing helps us focus on the areas that are most important to us. Thanks to this, we can get from life exactly what we really want.
Priority Criteria
There is no one right way to prioritize; each situation requires a different approach. For example, in one case it is more logical to start work with the most urgent task, in another - with the most important, and in the third - with the most enjoyable.
The following priority criteria are most often used in time management:
Importance
In everyday speech, importance can mean anything. For example, “important” things in everyday life are often simply called urgent things (“buy sugar”) or things related to emotions (“going to a concert of your favorite band”).
However, in time management, those goals and tasks that help a person change his life in the right direction are usually considered important. This leads to two definitions:
1. An important goal is a goal that corresponds to a person’s core values. For example, the goal “to create an online store” will be important if a person’s main value is “material well-being,” and less important if he is more concerned about “creativity” or “spiritual development.”
Here are more examples of how the importance of goals changes in the context of different values:
If a goal does not correspond to values, achieving it will not bring satisfaction to a person. She, of course, will change his life, but she will not change it at all in the way he would like.
2. An important task is a task that is aimed at achieving the main goals or, again, corresponds to the main values.
For example, let’s say our main goal is “to create an online store.” In the context of this goal, the task of “choosing a domain name for the site” will be considered important, but “cleaning out the closet” will not. This does not mean that there is no need to clean out the closet at all: this task simply does not bring us closer to the stated goal.
More examples:
Importance is the main priority criterion because it directly affects our lives.
Urgency
The urgency of a task is determined by the deadline for its completion (deadline). Failure to complete the task by this deadline will result in trouble, lost profits, or the task becoming irrelevant.
For example, let’s take the task “write a report”:
- If it needs to be submitted in an hour, this is a very urgent task.
- If it’s in the evening, it’s just urgent.
- If in three days - less urgent.
- If you don’t have to write it, it’s not urgent.
A task may not have a specific deadline, but it will still be urgent. For example, if our refrigerator is broken, it needs to be repaired as soon as possible (otherwise the food may spoil). For such tasks, the deadline has already arrived and the sooner we complete them, the better.
Here are more examples:
The urgency test can be applied to all ongoing cases. It is especially useful when we actively interact with the outside world or other people: with clients, colleagues, officials, etc. Prioritizing according to urgency allows us not to “drown” in business and avoid troubles.
Urgency and importance are used in the Eisenhower Matrix, the most popular prioritization technique.
Expenses
Cost is the amount of time, effort, money and other resources required to complete a task or achieve a goal. All other things being equal, the option where these costs are the lowest will be considered priority.
For example, we want to buy a book. It is sold in two online stores at the same price - 750 rubles. But in the first store, delivery of a book to our region costs 350 rubles, and the second store delivers the book for free. Naturally, it is better for us to choose the second store.
Expected results
The criterion shows how profitable it will be to complete a particular task.
For example, we want to advertise our services on a social network. We found three groups with a suitable topic, with the same reader engagement and the same advertising prices. But the first group has an audience of 20,000 people, the second - 30,000, and the third - 50,000. It is preferable to choose the third group, since it will probably have more clicks on advertising.
Efficiency
Efficiency is the ratio of the two previous criteria: expected results and expected costs.
Let's take the example of social media advertising again. This time let's imagine that each group has its own advertising price. Let's calculate the effectiveness of placing an ad in each group:
Measuring your tasks by efficiency is usually much more useful than simply by costs or results. This criterion is good because it helps you achieve goals with minimal effort.
“Pleasant / not pleasant”
Although this criterion is completely subjective, it is great for increasing personal effectiveness. It can be used in two directly opposite ways:
Method 1. Complete tasks in the order of their “trouble”. What is it for? First, the sooner we take on an unpleasant task, the more strength and determination we have to complete it. Second, unpleasant things are often the most important things to do, and their unpleasantness is associated with “stepping out of your comfort zone.” This approach is called the “frog method”.
Method 2. Start with something pleasant. If you can't bring yourself to start working, do the part of it that causes you the least resistance. This approach is called the "Swiss cheese method."
Environmental friendliness
Sustainability is a goal or mission that is consistent with our values, morals, or character. If a goal is not environmentally friendly, achieving it can negatively affect our internal state.
For example, if an incorrigible introvert becomes the owner of a company, he will have to constantly communicate with subordinates, clients, business partners, etc. This is unlikely to make him happier.
This criterion can be used to set priorities in life and to determine main goals. It's simple: the more environmentally friendly our choices, the better we feel and the more satisfied we are with our lives.
Specific criteria
These include those priority criteria that have a very narrow and specific scope of application. They are not suitable for assessing ordinary goals and objectives, but are used only in certain life situations related to choice: buying a car, looking for a new job, searching for employees, etc.
Let's say we decide to rent a house. The following factors may influence our choice:
- Rent price;
- Apartment area;
- Layout;
- Distance to work;
- Availability of certain amenities (balcony, air conditioning);
- The appearance of the house or area;
- Owner's identity, etc.
Sometimes only one of these criteria (for example, price) can be decisive for us, and sometimes some special combination of various characteristics. In some cases, it is convenient to use special selection techniques, for example, the multi-criteria evaluation method.
About relationships
The explanation of what priority in relationships is may be somewhat similar. So, this is also a choice of actions, but which concerns the other half (girl or guy). It is worth saying that often a mismatch of priorities becomes the reason for the breakup of couples in love. So, for example, for a girl it will be important to spend time together with her beloved, but a guy may put the couple’s material well-being as the first step in a relationship, which is why he simply will not be able to spend much time with his beloved. This is where a lot of conflicts happen. And to avoid this, people just need to learn to talk to each other and come to an agreement.
Prioritization Methods
There are dozens (if not hundreds) of ways to prioritize today. Listed here are only those that are most often used in personal time management. For convenience, the list is divided into two parts: in the first part, we will look at methods for prioritizing tasks, and in the second, methods for prioritizing goals and values.
Note that all these methods are rather advisory in nature. The final decision on prioritization always remains with the person himself.
Prioritization of tasks
The techniques described here help you put things in order, effectively plan your day, and identify priority tasks in various projects. The techniques are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, starting with the simplest.
1. The most important task . We determine the most important task at the moment and complete it. Then we determine the next most important task, and so on.
The SVZ method is the simplest and most natural way for a person to set priorities, which many use intuitively. Usually this technique is performed mentally, without making any notes.
Task
At first glance, the philosophical concept of priority surrounds us in everyday life. The phrase “to set priorities” means to determine for yourself or others the order of things to be followed, to highlight the main, key things. There are state policy priorities that determine the leading direction of development, for example, of the economy, education, and agriculture. There are relationship priorities that relate to the interaction between people in a couple, whether they will be employees, associates, friends, or they prioritize lies and hypocrisy. Without priorities, it is impossible to exist in a business environment in which the leading positions of the first word or the most important decisions are given to senior colleagues, bosses, more experienced employees, older colleagues who have seen life.
The ability to identify priorities is an important trait both for an individual and for the state as a whole; it is the correct approach to priorities, the ability to highlight the main thing that determines success in work, study, and the well-being of the country.
