3 ms·

Thanks for this. It's interesting because it's super close to another method: Write down everything, put the most important thing at the top of a list, next imp

Thanks for this. It's interesting because it's super close to another method: Write down everything, put the most important thing at the top of a list, next important next, go till done. That's maybe the most naive method possible and essentially shouldn't count as advice for "how to prioritize". But, maybe the fact that you're going from least to most important makes it materially easier. It's functionally different because you're picking out the least important stuff when the list of unchosen items is big and the most important stuff when the list is small. I can see how this would help a lot.

ergonaught 4y ago
Approaching it from "least to most" circumvents the problem of rationalizing and justifying. We get caught up in that when we're looking for "most important" or "what to do", but we already know what's got to come off the bottom of the list, without even having to explain it. It also helps mitigate our fear avoidance strategies (ex: (a|b|c) - (x|y|z) + (w|t|f), Einsenhower quadrants, and so on) because there's just no room for it. Something has to go. What? Okay. Next.
dchuk 4y ago
“put the most important thing at the top of a list, next important next” you realize you’re basically saying “the trick to prioritizing is you have to prioritize” right? The idea behind all of these systems is to help people figure out what is actually important.
- maxerickson 4y ago
  The link suggests replacing your intuition with how important a task is with your intuition about 3 different aspects of the task. Which has a similar problem. The real trick to prioritization is to have enough capacity.
  - dchuk 4y ago
    Capacity informs how well/fast you can execute through your priorities, which can sometimes mean that you should reprioritize according to your available throughput (“Capacity says we’ll have this 10th thing next year, we need it this year, let’s reprioritize). But unless you have specific time horizons for your wants/needs, capacity and priorities aren’t as related as most people think. You should prioritize the things that will have the highest impact to your customers or your business. That could be: - a mission critical infrastructure change - a small bug that is driving people nuts - a differentiating new feature - a whole new product that will take a long time to build Good prioritization facts in multiple criteria. Bad (most common) prioritization is a function of loudest voices yelling.
- travisjungroth 4y ago
  > you realize you’re basically saying “the trick to prioritizing is you have to prioritize” right? I'm very aware of it. The next sentence I wrote: > That's maybe the most naive method possible and essentially shouldn't count as advice for "how to prioritize".

ergonaught 4y ago

Approaching it from "least to most" circumvents the problem of rationalizing and justifying. We get caught up in that when we're looking for "most important" or "what to do", but we already know what's got to come off the bottom of the list, without even having to explain it. It also helps mitigate our fear avoidance strategies (ex: (a|b|c) - (x|y|z) + (w|t|f), Einsenhower quadrants, and so on) because there's just no room for it. Something has to go. What? Okay. Next.

dchuk 4y ago

“put the most important thing at the top of a list, next important next” you realize you’re basically saying “the trick to prioritizing is you have to prioritize” right? The idea behind all of these systems is to help people figure out what is actually important.

maxerickson 4y ago
The link suggests replacing your intuition with how important a task is with your intuition about 3 different aspects of the task. Which has a similar problem. The real trick to prioritization is to have enough capacity.
- dchuk 4y ago
  Capacity informs how well/fast you can execute through your priorities, which can sometimes mean that you should reprioritize according to your available throughput (“Capacity says we’ll have this 10th thing next year, we need it this year, let’s reprioritize). But unless you have specific time horizons for your wants/needs, capacity and priorities aren’t as related as most people think. You should prioritize the things that will have the highest impact to your customers or your business. That could be: - a mission critical infrastructure change - a small bug that is driving people nuts - a differentiating new feature - a whole new product that will take a long time to build Good prioritization facts in multiple criteria. Bad (most common) prioritization is a function of loudest voices yelling.
travisjungroth 4y ago
> you realize you’re basically saying “the trick to prioritizing is you have to prioritize” right? I'm very aware of it. The next sentence I wrote: > That's maybe the most naive method possible and essentially shouldn't count as advice for "how to prioritize".