Three methods for prioritizing your tasks

After creating a task list, the next step is to prioritize tasks in some way. That means that you should determine if a task is more important then other tasks. How to manage such list? There are several methods to do that.

A-B-C-D-E method

• Make a list of all tasks
• Mark a task with 'A' if the task is very important
• Mark a task with 'B' if the task is important
• Mark a task with 'C' if it would be nice to complete the task
• Mark a task with 'D' if it possible to delegate the task to someone
• Mark a task with 'E' if the task should not be completed at all (complete waste of time)

When you start to work, first finish the tasks labeled with A, then with B, ... Never work on tasks that are labeled with B if you can work on task labeled with A.

Order the task list by priority

• Make a list of all tasks
• Choose ONE task that you find the most important (imagine that you are going to some trip and you have time to do just one task, which one should you execute)
• Label that task with number one
• Choose ONE task that you find the most important among the unlabeled tasks
• Label that task with number two
• ...
• Repeat the process until you label all tasks

When you start to work, first finish the tasks labeled with number one, then with two, ... Always work on tasks with the lowest label that are unfinished. Never work on task labeled with 4 when you have unfinished task labeled with 2.

Order the task list using important and urgent marks

• Make a list of all tasks
• Label all tasks that are both urgent and important with IU
• Label all tasks that are urgent but not important with U
• Label all tasks that are important but not urgent with I
• Don't do anything with unimportant and non urgent tasks

When you start to work, first finish the tasks labeled with IU, then with U, then with I. Don't do anything with unlabeled tasks.

Order the task list using the price per hour

• Make a list of all tasks
• Determine for each task how much time it requires (in hours)
  
• Determine the worth for each task
  
• For each task calculate price per hour (estimated worth/required time)

When you start to work, first finish the task that have the highest price per hour. Let's look at the example:

• Task A, required time 0.5 hrs, value 5$, price per hour 5/0.5=10$
  
• Task B, required time 0.25 hrs, value 3$, price per hour 3/0.25=12$
• Task C, required time 1.5 hrs, value 12$, price per hour 12/1.5=8$

The order of task execution should be:

1. Task B
2. Task A
3. Task C