I found myself unusually busy approaching the Christmas break. I had a lot to do and so a lot of things I would normally do at this time (like sending out nice mails to people), I didn’t get to do. It’s unfortunate and I apologise for you missing out on my usual catch up message this time of year. But no matter how good you are at time management, there is a point at which there is not enough time to get everything done. At that point, we have to knock things off our to-do list not because they are done or because they are no longer important but instead because other tasks have a higher priority and you will only get through a certain amount of them.

Prioritising is hard. It’s hard because it can feel like a failure if interpreted the wrong way. You can focus on the things that you didn’t get done. But look at the alternative. I often think back to school when it comes to this sort of thing. Every teacher gives you homework blissfully unaware of what homework the other teachers are giving you. Now I was a good student but even I hit points in a school day when I realised that there was simply too much homework to get done to any reasonable standard.

Did I prioritise and do what I can well? I did not. Instead, the feeling that it was now an impossible task gave me the feeling that the entire endeavour was pointless. I was doomed to fail and so why even try if it just couldn’t be done? Having a lot to do can give us a kick and motivate us to get through it. Having what is obviously too much to do is a terrible motivator. Nobody feels good about starting something they know won’t end well.

Cut to years later and my approach is different. I carefully select tasks and the order I work through them to ensure that each one is done well. Once something goes on my list and is in the correct order, I work through one thing at a time and I don’t worry about the next thing on my list until the task I am on is complete. That focus is crucial. And when the list has to be evaluated because it is just too long, I have to look at what I can assign to others and, when things just get too much, what I will drop. Better to get what is achievable done well than fail at the whole lot.

Prioritising is hard. It involves making tough decisions and then being okay with those decisions. It takes consideration, evaluation and a sense of what each task involves. But there are times it just has to be done. It’s an important part of getting things done. So prioritise. Get things done and get them done well. And if they can’t be done, there is always next year.