You’ve got a never-ending to-do list, Slack notifications dinging, email tabs open in every browser, and somewhere in the middle of it all, you’re meant to be running a business and having a life. The word “priorities” gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean when everything feels urgent and important right now?
Here’s the thing: you can’t manage your time unless you’re clear on your priorities. And I don’t mean vague “big picture” ideas like “grow the business” or “be more organised.” I mean the actual decisions you make every day about what gets done, what gets left, and what can wait until tomorrow (or, let’s be honest, next month).
Spoiler: Not Everything is a Priority
One of the biggest mindset shifts I’ve made is this: not everything can be the most important thing. If everything’s urgent, then nothing really is. You have to be ruthless. If that makes you cringe a bit, that’s probably a sign you’re a people-pleaser or perfectionist (or both). You want to do it all, do it well, and keep everyone happy. But trying to give everything equal energy is the fast lane to burnout and bad decisions.
What works better? Picking your battles. Accepting that some things just won’t get done this week. Learning to separate the must-do’s from the nice-to-have’s. And yes, it means letting go of the guilt that comes with not ticking every box.
Tasks, Goals, and The Black Hole of “Busy”
There’s a difference between being busy and being productive, and I’ve lost count of how many days I’ve finished exhausted but wondering what I actually achieved. That’s what happens when your time is filled with tasks, but not necessarily priorities. You feel like you’re working flat out, but you’re not really moving the needle.
Sometimes it helps to zoom out and ask: what’s the point of this task? Is it tied to a bigger goal, or is it just something that crept onto the list because someone else asked for it? If your day is full of everyone else’s priorities, guess what—you’ve stopped running your business and started running errands.
Getting Ruthless (But Still Nice About It)
Managing priorities doesn’t mean becoming a stone-cold taskmaster. It just means making intentional choices. When I plan my week, I don’t just list everything I could do. I ask: what’s the one thing that would make the biggest impact? What’s genuinely time-sensitive? What can be parked or delegated?
And I’m realistic. I know I’ll get distracted. Something unexpected will land. So I build in buffer space and don’t kid myself into thinking I can do 12 things a day at 110%. Some days I knock it out of the park. Other days, I just keep the wheels turning—and that’s okay too.
