Priorities
Priorities
As an adult, you will be challenged constantly to prioritize the things you want to do, need to do, should do, and are useful for meeting your goals. You’ll have to make decisions based on how important something is, the energy and resources you have, and the time you can spend. You’ll also have to reprioritize constantly, as what is most important will change. What you prioritize shows what you value; more than what you say, your actions and what you get done show what is important to you.
Understanding your priorities
Acting responsibly and effectively includes identifying what tasks are priorities and focusing on them. We often make the mistake of ignoring what is important for what is loud, attention-grabbing, upsetting, or easy. It is tempting to take care of the loudest, most noticeable thing. It’s human nature to pay attention to things that catch your eye, but we need to be careful not to react emotionally when we decide where to spend our limited time, energy, and emotion.
A task that is a priority is one that:
- Has a clear and large benefit to your present and future
- Needs to be done now to benefit your learning, success, or well-being
- If avoided, will cause you to lose an opportunity, grades/success, relationships or something else valuable to you
As a student, you will have to decide between:
- Assignments that get done, especially when due dates are similar
- Social time and assignments
- Wellness and college work, especially when they both need the same time and energy
- What you want to do and what your classes have assigned as work
And many, many more …
To understand what drives your priorities, you should revisit your goals and what you need to do to maintain or increase your wellness. Prioritizing tasks is based on your awareness of your needs, goals, and resources PLUS how much time and energy tasks take.
Deciding if something is a priority
It can be hard to tell what tasks should be a priority overall or a priority right now or if we can do those tasks later.
Ask yourself:
| What do I get from doing this task? And what do I lose by not doing this task?
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A priority task will be something you stand to gain a lot from, and not doing it will cause you to lose something valuable. For example, studying for an exam or completing a project worth 25% of your grade in a course clearly has value, and not studying or finishing that project will cost you. Other tasks– for example, washing your clothes– may not be as clear. Yes, you need clean clothes however, not doing laundry right now might be okay if you have other clothes ready. And yet, if you have procrastinated, this task will become an emergency because having clean clothes supports you in attending class and building social relationships, and dirty clothes can cost both. |
| Is it a high-value task?
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High-value tasks are those that when you are done, are worth more (ie: grade-wise in college) or enable you to complete a high-value task (for example, reading before writing a paper). If you do not do a high-value task, you will likely see a negative result in your grades, learning, or quality of life. |
| Does this task make a difference, and is that difference needed immediately? | Not all tasks make a difference. Yes, I need to wash the dishes but doing that now or later when I need a dish will not make a difference. In that same time however, I could do something else that makes a notable difference in my learning, grades, or well-being. Tasks that do not make a real difference are likely not a priority. |
| How will doing this task now improve my life and learning, and how will delaying this task risk my future success? | Important tasks will IMPROVE your learning and your success by ensuring you know what you are expected to, can perform the way you need to, and have handed in work as expected. Avoiding these tasks will lead to lower grades, missed learning, and increased stress. If a task will not improve your life and learning and will not risk your future success, it probably is not a priority. |
| Am I feeling anxious about this task and where is that coming from? | Some tasks feel urgent and leave us feeling anxious. This could be because we know they are important- but it could also be due to someone reminding of us frequently, or our own worries that we are not prepared to do this work. It could also be our past history causing us stress. If you are feeling anxious or a task appear urgent, it is important to look at WHY you feel and think this way before pushing it to the top of your list. |
Is an assignment a priority?
Assignments that are high value (affect your learning or grades are due now are typically priority tasks. Assignments that are low value and not due now are often low priorities (when assigned).
A few things to consider:
- You might not be able to get a high priority task done because of lack of time or resources. If this happens, you need to speak to your Instructor for guidance.
- Be careful as spending energy and time on priority tasks that you can’t complete CAN hurt your ability to do other assignments.
- Many low-value assignments that don’t get done can add up, costing your learning and grades.
- Tasks can change their priority depending on timing and changes in their value.
Taking care of your priorities
- Take a step back if a task feels urgent to see if it is important and needs to be taken care of now or if it just feels that way.
- Do the most important/valuable tasks first
- Schedule the most important and valuable tasks first during study time or first thing on the weekend/days off
- Revisit your goals and values lists frequently and evaluate your tasks against them. A priority task moves you towards your goals and fits within your values.
As a student, you’ll have unlimited opportunities AND a constantly changing to-do list. One of the wonderful parts of college is all of the things you can do, but you can’t do everything. Learning to prioritize by making decisions about what is most valuable and essential and gives you the best learning, social, and personal development is critical to being prepared for the new opportunities that you’ll have after graduation.