Clear prioritization is the main factor of success. Strict prioritization

Yuri Okunev School

Hello friends. Yuri Okunev is with you.

Today we’ll talk about how to prioritize. I have already written a number of articles about this. Today I will summarize everything that was said earlier and add a few more interesting tools.

ABS method

This is a slightly softened version of the Pareto Rule. The tasks are divided into three groups:
A - the most important
B – medium importance
C – not particularly important

If sorting within the resulting groups is required, the usual numbering is used: A1, A2, A3, etc.

ABS analysis is often used in business to identify more and less profitable product groups.

Eisenhower Matrix

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) Army general and 34th President of the United States proposed new level work with priorities, in which, in addition to the importance of tasks, their urgency is also taken into account.

The matrix looks like this:

We take our list of tasks and distribute them into the resulting categories.

Important and urgent(square of disasters).
Important and not urgent(square of creation).
Not important and urgent(vanity square).
Not important and not urgent(destruction square).

The main result of this distribution is a deeper understanding of the relative weight of each task. Obviously, the main square of a productive person important and non-urgent affairs. You need to strive to devote as much time as possible to them.

Important and urgent We sort things out and draw conclusions so that emergency situations don’t arise in the future.

Unimportant and urgent— we delegate whenever possible, or ignore it if we can afford it.

Unimportant and not urgent brave time managers boldly send to trash can. It’s just a shame that our little joys in life often fall into this section: reading a fiction book, watching a movie, chatting with friends, etc.

Less popular methods

Olympic system

Let's turn to the experience of athletes. You can arrange a knockout game for the problems. I think no special explanation is required. We divide the cases into twos, compare them with each other, and repeat the cycle until an absolute winner is identified.

Pairwise comparison

Let's continue the sports parallels. A more accurate, but also more labor-intensive method is pairwise comparison.
When all tasks seem equally important, you can compare each task in turn with all the others. The one that gets the most “victories” based on the results of the “meetings” will be the most important.

Mutual influence assessment

This method allows you to assess the importance of a task by the degree of its influence on the overall situation. The most important tasks will be those with more arrows coming from them. Less meaningful connections can be indicated by a dotted line.

Contribution to values ​​(supergoals)

One task can work simultaneously on several values. Accordingly, the task that positively affects the maximum number of them will be more important.

Multivariate analysis

To compare our tasks or goals according to several indicators, we can create a two-dimensional table. In the left column we write down objects for comparison. In the top line we define the criteria. We put pros and cons in the task line, or a score for each criterion and look at the final result.

Case	Important	Urgent	The price of victory	Damage price	Availability of resources	TOTAL
Project 1
Project 2
Project 3

This method is also well suited for choosing important life decisions: buying real estate, a car, choosing a contractor for important work. In those cases when we have time to leisurely weigh everything.

Weighted average

In cases where the importance of the factors by which we evaluate tasks is not initially equal, we can use the calculation of the weighted average. Interesting method which I have described in detail.

"Folk" methods

There are also a number of common but less practical methods for setting priorities.

• Target- I do whatever catches my eye.
• squeaky wheel– whoever whines more, that’s why I do it.
• Easy first- I do what doesn’t bother me.
• Roasted rooster– I do what is already burning.

I think it’s clear that these options go under the heading “What not to do.”

Priorities of men and women

And finally, you can think about how the priorities of men and women differ. I wrote two separate articles on this subject.

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Let's sum it up

We remembered what is the basis for prioritization and went over the main approaches to this process.
Let me emphasize once again that priorities are not an end in themselves. Choose for yourself one, maximum two of the most simple ways, implement it in your daily practice and use it.

Share information with friends, subscribe to blog news, join the practitioners on the course. And I say goodbye to you for today.

And if you still have questions, I invite you to individual consultation. Details.

To see you soon.
Yours, Yuri Okunev.

A young woman, Olga, came to see a psychologist with a problem that was atypical for her age, which she identified as emptiness. A strange situation: husband, two children, work, and emptiness around her. Oh well, it would only be all around, there was also emptiness deep inside. After completing a number of formalities, the psychologist asked to talk about how a typical weekday goes in order to understand the daily prioritization.

- Priorities? What are you talking about? I am absolutely correctly oriented towards life. The main thing for me is the health of my loved ones,” the client was indignant.

“I’m not asking you to talk about values, I just want to understand the daily prioritization,” the psychologist explained.

- Do you want to understand what is more important to me: my mother’s health or my husband’s love?

- I'm not trying to figure out the hierarchy of your life values. It's quite difficult. I'm just trying to understand how you structure your day.

The dialogue could be endless and required a simple explanation of the meaning of the art of prioritization.

What are priorities?

The question that took the client by surprise is indeed very important from the perspective of her daily attitude towards life. Prioritizing means understanding what is really important NOW.

The concept of priority has actively entered our lives recently from computer vocabulary. Task Scheduler operating system computer determines which program to run in at the moment depending on its significance - i.e. assigns priority.

Consider determining priority on simple example. Let's say you need to collect information about something on a computer disk. First you need to create a folder with a specific name, and then put the necessary files there. It's more convenient and faster than uploading files to different places, and then collect them in a folder. So, to start collecting information, we need to create a place where we will collect it. Creating a folder is a priority.

Note, not the main or important, but the priority, that is, the first, important right now. You can create several other folders along the way if it is important now. And if not, then is it necessary to spend time and effort on this?

So, priority is a process, an event that is the most important in a given place, in given time. Everything about the car is simple. The computer brain quickly calculates all options for completing tasks and determines the most effective ones at the moment, making them a priority, that is, it performs them. And you can't argue with that.

IN everyday life we constantly have to prioritize, that is, choose the most important and effective processes. We plan a trip to the store, daily cleaning of the apartment, things to do at work, including easy breaks to discuss the news. We even plan to start a new life on Monday, but we don’t start because completely different processes become priorities.

The psychologist continues the dialogue with Olga:

— Do you buy food at fast food for your loved ones?

- Why?

“My family loves this food, I want to please them.” Plus, this purchase frees me from having to spend the evening at the stove.

- Do you know that this food is harmful?

- I know. But this doesn’t happen often.

— So, sometimes for you the desire to get rid of household chores is more important than the health of your loved ones?

There is no answer. And it cannot be, the concepts are confused here.

Why do you need to prioritize?

The continuation of the dialogue between the psychologist and the client indicates a distinction between concepts: values ​​and priorities. We will not talk about the dangers of fast food. We are talking about processes that are important right now. And, the main thing is to understand what exactly is important - to set priorities.

Firstly, this will help save time. Think about the task scheduler computer system, which clearly prioritizes processes based on this principle.

Secondly, this will help save your energy. Indeed, it is easier to go to the store on the way from work than to return after you have already arrived home. It is more convenient to plan your activities in advance, calculating possible options.

Thirdly, this will determine your main tasks for the near future and subordinate all other actions to them.

To understand the importance of prioritization, consider the fast food situation.

Option 1. Situation: A tired woman returns from work. She really wants to relax at home after a hard day.

Solution: buy food for loved ones at a restaurant fast food. This will provide them good mood and save her from cooking dinner.

Priority: relaxation after a hard day of work.

Will you blame her for bad attitude to loved ones? No, because you understand the motive of her action and the chosen priority.

Option 2.(complicating the situation). Everything is the same, but there is very little money in the wallet.

Solution: buy food instant cooking. This will save her from the need for lengthy cooking and give her additional time to relax.

Priority: prepare food as quickly as possible and save money.

Will there be reproaches in this case? Also no. Because here the choice is also clear.

Option 3. The situation is the same.

Solution: buy vegetables, defrost meat, cook chakhokhbili.

Priority: proper nutrition of loved ones.

The result: long cooking times, a dissatisfied, hungry family, a nervous, tired woman, and possibly family conflicts combined with mutual accusations.

Was this priority worth the results? What is more important to you: peace in the family or observance proper nutrition? So, again, prioritization.

Having understood the concepts of priority and values, Olga received homework, in which it was necessary to rank daily priorities, starting from the most important. The difficulty of the task was that she had to indicate at least 50 points.

The psychologist noted with surprise that the woman managed it. In an abbreviated version it looked like this:

1. Don't be late for work.
2. Walk the children to school.
3. Do your job conscientiously.
4. Don't make mistakes in the texts.
5. So that the boss notices her efforts.
6. Possibility of bonus.

1. N.'s attention to her person.
2. Colleagues' opinions about her appearance.

1. Opinion of A.P. about her shoes.
2. An invitation to tea in the chief accountant's office.

38. Have time to do everything at work so as not to take work home.

1. Feed your loved ones.
2. Eat low-calorie foods to lose weight.

Mistakes in choosing priorities

So, we have already found out that the need to set priorities confronts us every day, and the result of our activities depends on how correctly we do this. What is wrong in the rating of our heroine?

The first thing on the list is not to be late for work, then, after the point, complete your work without making mistakes. Commendable. And if the list consisted of four points, then the option with a boss and a bonus would not be important? And the material side of the issue turns out to be irrelevant? It turns out to be some kind of communism.

In fact, it's not like that. We come to work to earn money, and that means material interest is important. Unselfish workaholics are quickly identified in any office, and then they cry into their pillows and become depressed, just because they have their priorities wrong. They are considered conscientious and responsible, but are not promoted or financially rewarded.

Another thing is careerist people. Even with lower abilities, they receive high salaries and positions because of the right priorities. Is it so bad to be a careerist?

Several checklist items relate to the assessment of appearance. For every representative of the fair sex, appearance is important. But we didn’t see anything in the list that concerns the creation processes female beauty: makeup, manicure, choice of clothes. What's the matter here?

IN in this case, the client does not consider self-care important, and her colleagues’ assessment of her appearance most likely frightens her more than it pleases her. She's afraid negative attitude, or even comments, and does not expect compliments. This point, along with others, can cause a depressive attitude towards what is happening.

Everything will be easier if you add a well-groomed appearance, correctly selected clothes to the list of priorities, and only then the desire not to be late. The morning of a young woman will be subject to her mood, reflection in the mirror, and desire to please. The opinion of her colleagues about her appearance will fall lower and lower in the table until she completely disappears from the ranking.

This point, of course, will force you to change your plans for the weekend. You need to take time for yourself: go shopping, visit a beauty salon, or at least do simple cosmetic procedures at home. Perhaps your plans for the weekend will include the task of relaxing, the most important thing to do. But in the priority ratings, as a rule, cooking borscht and cutlets is more common, rather than options family vacation.

What happens: we drive ourselves into a dead end by simply planning our lives? Yes, that's right. Errors in prioritization destroy a person's personality, making them slaves to needs; destroy relationships in the family, bringing cleaning of the apartment and cooking to the forefront, reducing the importance of mental communication and family recreation to zero.

I imagine an imaginary dialogue with readers:

“How is it,” readers exclaim, “that we destroy our own lives?” But we try to do household chores, taking care of loved ones.

— What is more important to loved ones: a plate of borscht or a skiing trip together?

“Both are important,” you say.

- Right. But we're talking about about prioritizing when you need to choose one thing. And in this situation, a quick snack may well be suitable if it preserves the warmth of relationships and impressions of the weekend. And spending a whole day in the kitchen can cause alienation and resentment.

Of course, household chores need to be done. But this needs to be planned in such a way as not to destroy other values.

The art of prioritizing

Setting priorities is actually simple if you learn to understand what exactly you need. Don't be afraid to answer your questions honestly. Only you can understand your desires.

How to do this? Here are some rules:

1. Always prioritize your tasks, even the smallest things. Start your workday with what is important, but not with what is simple, easy or less in scope. Remember that by wasting time on the little things, you will miss the important things, and this is always fraught with consequences. Your personal planner should always prioritize.
2. Know how to clearly assess your condition and, based on this, plan your activities. Don't do anything forcefully without emergency. If a negative state is normal, then try to change this particular situation.
3. Involve your surroundings in important decisions and affairs. Voice your condition without fear of the reaction of colleagues or loved ones. Let those around you learn to build their priorities, taking into account the interests of loved ones.
4. Identify a few important long-term priorities that will be presented in the form of small tasks. For example, the goal of losing weight will be reflected in buying low-calorie food or giving up dessert.
5. Consider the wishes of your loved ones in your priorities. Give in to them and make compromises. Don't confuse goals and values. And don't let one destroy the other.

After some time, Olga talked about how she accompanied her husband on a long business trip. Usually, she got up early in the morning, started preparing pies, putting things in a suitcase and ironing each shirt. By evening she became tired and irritable.

But not this time. She desperately wanted to spend this time with her family. Having discussed the insignificance of homemade pies and shirts that still have to be ironed in the evening, she and her husband packed their suitcase and planned a family vacation.

The young woman talked with a smile about visiting the shopping and entertainment center, air hockey and a little shopping.

The psychologist noted that Olga learned to enjoy life.

The daily routine will always be there. It is very easy to become dependent on an endless series of work and household responsibilities. At some point, a person completely submits himself to the concept of “should.” It is then that life is filled with fatigue, bustle, and alienation.

It is important to understand in time own desires and needs, it is from this position that we prioritize daily work and home affairs.

Do you know how to do this? Want to learn? Then first, make your rating of daily priorities (at least 50 points). Just one important condition: be honest with yourself.

The priority method is used when it is necessary to carry out a ranking operation of a certain group of objects according to some attribute (criterion) when various combinations these signs. Let's consider theoretical foundations of this method.
There is a certain set of objects (x^i=1...n, where n is total quantity objects. In this case, as a set of objects
there are many options for formation and development strategies organizational culture.
A set of objects is characterized by a certain set of features (pk) k=1...m, where m is the total number of features. In this case, the above approximate strategic and tactical goals can serve as signs.
Within the framework of this method, a qualitative assessment of preferences is made in the following areas:
Between compared alternative options for strategies for the formation and development of organizational culture Xi according to a fixed characteristic pk
Between the signs of the RK themselves.
Preference ratings include:
superiority of one object in comparison with another on a certain basis (sign “>”);
equality of objects according to this characteristic (the “=” sign);
lower preference for one object over another on a given basis (sign “Preference estimates are determined by experts in the form of paired comparisons of strategies without quantitative assessment of the degree of preference in each pair.
Based on the results of the expert assessment, a preference matrix is ​​constructed (Table 3.2).
Table 3.2
Matrix of preferences for strategies for the formation and development of organizational culture Alternative Expert assessments of strategy options (1) (j) X] X2 Xn X1 = X2 = Xn = Signs of expert assessments of strategies are entered in the cells of the matrix.
In order to carry out computational procedures for comparing strategy options, a square matrix of coefficients is constructed:
A = | y (3..5)
Coefficients (aij) are specified within the following limits:
1+y, if xi>xj aij = 1, if xi=xj (36)
1-y if xiwhere 0 Table 3.3
The value of coefficients aij depending on the number of strategy options and error d. Error 5 5=20% n=9 n=8 n=7 n=6 n=5 n=4 n=3 n=2 5=10% n=9 n=8 n=7 n=6 n=5 n=4 n=3 n=2 jacket aij 5=5% n=9 n=8 n=7 n=6 n=5 n=4 n=3 n=2 Xj>Xj 2 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 aii = Xj=Xj 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Xi Table 3.4.
Coefficient matrix. No. Factors Calculation of priorities of objects i Х1 Х2 ХП 1 Х1 an a21 a1n 2 Х2 a21 a22 a2n n ХП an1 an2 ann Based on the obtained values ​​of the coefficients and the constructed matrix, the value of the priorities of options for strategies for the formation and development of organizational culture P& is calculated.
The relative assessment of the importance of the i-th strategy option based on the k-th attribute (priority value) P& is calculated using formula (3.7): Рik =Z aij А, (3.7)
where j=Kn,
n is the total number of strategy options.
In turn,
Ar! aij (3.8)
Similarly, you can determine the priority values ​​of features for each variant of the Pk strategy:
Pk=! aij А, (3.9)
where j=1^m,
m is the total number of parameters (features).
Based on the calculated values ​​of the priorities of strategy options P^ and the characteristics Pk characterizing them, a matrix of assessments of the significance of the i-th strategy option by the k-th attribute and assessments of the significance of the attribute is constructed (see Table 3.5).
Table 3.5
Matrix of assessments of the significance of the i-th strategy option by the k-th indicator and assessments of the significance of the features Strategy options Priority value by the k-th feature i A, Pik X1 X2 Xn X1 a11 a12 a1n A1= an+ a12+...+ a1n P1k= an A1+ a12* A2+...+ a1n* An X2 a21 a22 a2n A2= a21+ a22+...+ a2n P2k= a21 A1+ a22* A2+...+ a2n* An Xn an1 an2 ann An= an1+ an2+...+ ann Pnk= an1 A1+ an2 « A2+...+ ann* An A matrix of feature significance assessments is constructed in a similar way. To determine the total estimates of the preference of options for the strategy for the formation and development of organizational culture Q, the priorities of the strategy options are weighed by the priorities of the features according to formula (3.10):
Q=I Pk Pik , (3.10)
where k
m- total number signs. Calculations are made in the form of a matrix of weighted priorities (see Table 3.6.).
Table 3.6
Matrix of weighted priorities of options for strategies for the formation and development of organizational culture according to priority attributes. Signs
Y Signature priority value (Pk) Strategy options X1 X2 Xn p1 P1 P11 P1-P11 P21 P1 P21 RP1 P1 Rp1 p2 P2 P12 P2 P12 P22 P2 P22 RP2 P2 Rp2 Rsh Psh R1sh Psh P1sh R2sh Psh P2sh R
X PSH P R
x psh Ci=E Pk Pik C1 C2 Cn Based on the obtained values ​​of the total estimates of the preference of options for strategies for the formation and development of organizational culture Ci, conclusions are drawn about the degree of preference of a particular strategy by arranging the values ​​of Ci in ascending or descending order. Maximum value Ci will correspond to the most preferred strategy option, i.e.: lnaib. preferred = max . (3.11)
Examples of calculations and selection of a rational strategy for the formation and development of organizational culture are given in Appendix 6.
The results obtained using these methods allow us to make a decision on the most rational strategy for the formation and development of organizational culture for each enterprise. Received numeric values are not decisive and cannot be the only criteria on the basis of which a strategy is selected. However, the availability of quantitative data greatly facilitates and formalizes the process of choosing a strategy.
In addition, these methods are universal and can be easily adapted to a specific situation. For example, the objective function can be examined to its maximum, then it is possible to determine how much income the company will receive from implementing the strategy. Unfortunately, due to the lack of statistics on how investments made in organizational culture affect the income of enterprises, it is quite difficult to calculate what the return on each ruble invested will be. Therefore, the definition of income from the strategy will have high degree conventions.
It is advisable to use the considered methods for choosing a rational strategy for the formation and development of organizational culture in pairs. This is due to the fact that the linear programming method is quite abstract and mathematical, while the priority method is subjective, as it is based on expert assessments. Taken together, these methods give two results, synthesizing which you can make a decision about the rationality of a particular strategy.

Ask yourself a question - what do you really want in life? You can even write down your desires on a piece of paper, then analyze them. Desires may be different, but one thing unites them - having achieved your goals, you will feel truly happy.

It is happiness that is main goal any person - even if he himself is not aware of this. Therefore, prioritizing in life must take this point into account. If what you are doing now is not bringing you closer to happiness, something needs to change in your life.

This point is very important. The road to happiness is difficult, and there is not much time. Therefore, every step should lead to your goal. Everything that takes you away from your chosen path, away from your goal, must be discarded. Or at least relegated to the background.

Interests of other people

For many people, the most important priorities in their lives are the happiness, health and well-being of loved ones. At a minimum, many will say that this is exactly how things are for them. However, this is a mistake. Yes, people should take care of their parents, brothers and sisters, children. They must be ready, if necessary, to give their lives for them. At the same time, you need to understand that even the people closest to you cannot and do not have the right to deprive you of your dream - whatever it may be.

A person can live for others - if this is his path, his choice. If it makes him happy. But if, due to a sense of duty and responsibility, a person deprives himself of his dreams, this is already wrong. People come into this world to become happy. To deprive yourself of happiness means to live your life in vain.

That is why do not allow anyone, including people close to you, to manipulate you. You have your own goals, your own path. Help your loved ones, take care of them. But don't let them rob you of your dreams.

Prioritization

Some people have many items on their priority list. This is wrong - you cannot embrace the immensity. If you have made such a list, cross out everything from it except the three most important items. It's up to you to decide which items to leave. But there should not be more than three. It is on these three priority goals that you focus all your attention.

Why only three points and not more? Because these are the realities - a person cannot effectively work on more than three tasks at the same time. If there are more of them, work efficiency drops sharply, and as a result, it is not possible to achieve a good result anywhere. Therefore, something will have to be sacrificed. Learn to discard the unnecessary for the sake of the main thing.

Changing priorities

It is important to note that priorities may change over time. This is normal - as a person grows up, his values ​​change. At the same time, a change in priorities, if it occurs, must be evolutionary in nature and correspond to spiritual growth person. And it’s very bad when a person simply rushes through life, not knowing what he really wants. In this case, you need to go back to the very beginning and ask yourself: what do I need to be happy?

Never forget about happiness. You can acquire a huge fortune and still be a deeply unhappy person. Money gives opportunity, but it cannot replace happiness. Therefore, consider them as a tool, nothing more. Don’t chase prestige, career, fashion – look for your own path. The one that will make you feel inspired, full of energy and energy. If you greet every new day with joy, if you clearly see the goal and go towards it, no matter what, then you have set your priorities correctly and are on the right path.

In the life of every person, various tasks arise that vary in degree of importance, some require immediate response, and some can be done a little later, this skill is like an art, and in order to master it perfectly, it is not necessary to cram huge tons of books, it is enough to know the method of arrangement priorities. If we consider literal translation, then the word priority means “first”. In other words, it is a priority action or task. Quite often there are several such actions at once and they all require a solution; it is in such a situation that many people get lost and cannot set priorities correctly. In this case, only a well-developed technique can help.

Prioritization Methods

First, you need to correctly distribute tasks according to their level of importance. It is at this point that difficulties begin for most. However, not all tasks are actually that important. The most effective 4 ways of prioritizing will help you determine this:

1. The Eisenhower principle. Quite often used in determining primary and secondary tasks. To better understand how to set priorities correctly, create a questionnaire for yourself, with its help you can separate the concepts of urgency and importance. For example:

You have long wanted to start working again on a goal that was set last year. However, I can’t seem to get around to completing this task. Is it urgent or important?
Correct answer: IMPORTANT

A couple of new letters have arrived in your email. Is it urgent or important to read them right now?
Correct answer: URGENT

You have decided to visit a doctor once every 6 months. Six months have passed, but you still haven’t gone to the appointment. Is it urgent or important today?
Correct answer: IMPORTANT

This prioritization method is based on a combination of 2 possible options, which will allow you to classify all future tasks.

2. Quadrants C. Covey. This method helps you understand how to properly prioritize your work. All available tasks can be divided into 4 parts:

1. Urgent and important
2. Not urgent, but important
3. Urgent but not important
4. Not urgent or important

According to S. Covey, first of all successful people pay attention to square No. 2, which saves time to complete the remaining tasks. Nevertheless, each person independently decides which actions are more important - from the square under No. 1 and No. 2.

3. The ABC method is divided into 3 categories

A - very important
B – important,
B – disposing (pleasant).
Further, tasks are divided into a hierarchy of subcategories A1, A2, B1, B2, B1, etc.

4. Not very effective, although a fairly popular method of prioritization is based on the “target principle”, namely, a person begins to complete those tasks that arrived first. May be this method, really benefits someone, but he cannot divide tasks into unimportant and important ones.

Prioritization method not only saves time, but also allows you to complete all planned tasks, which in turn puts things in order and helps you achieve success in their implementation.