Getting Your Work Priorities Right
Welcome to our class blog!
In any workplace, being organised and knowing what to do first is a really important skill. This is called developing personal work priorities. It helps you stay on track, meet deadlines, and reduce stress.
What are work priorities?
Work priorities are the tasks you need to complete, ranked in order of importance. Some tasks are urgent (need to be done quickly), while others are important but can be done later.
Why are priorities important?
- Helps you manage your time better
- Ensures important tasks are not missed
- Makes your workday less stressful
- Helps you meet deadlines and expectations
Simple tips to manage your priorities:
- Make a to-do list at the start of each day
- Identify what is urgent vs important
- Break large tasks into smaller steps
- Ask your supervisor if you’re unsure what comes first
- Review your progress during the day
Answer one or more of the questions below in the comments:
- What is one thing that distracts you when you are trying to work?
- How do you decide what task to do first?
- Have you ever missed a deadline? What happened?
- What is one strategy you can use to improve your time management?
1 comment
Carolyn Fletcher
How do I decide what task to do first? When I have a lot of tasks to complete, I don’t just start with the easiest one – I take a moment to prioritise. The first thing I look at is urgency – what needs to be done today or very soon. Tasks with a tight deadline or immediate impact usually come first. Next I consider importance. Some tasks may not be urgent, but they are still very important to my job or team. For example, work that affects customers, safety or team outcomes I would prioritise higher than minor admin tasks. I also check in with my manager or team priorities. If my supervisor has set clear expectations, I make sure my task list aligns with those.