Best Methods for Prioritizing Tasks and Projects at Work

Executive summary:

• Use proven frameworks, like the Eisenhower matrix, MoSCoW method, or Value vs. Effort, to do effective task prioritization and rank work by importance, urgency, and value.

• Build prioritization into daily habits through check-ins, scheduling, and Slack tools. This helps teams stay focused, aligned, and adaptable when goals or deadlines shift.

It’s a Monday morning, and you start your workday with one goal in mind: finish that important project first thing, no exceptions. However, after checking your email, that plan gets quickly derailed. A dozen messages and three “urgent” requests later, that pressing project remains untouched.

The problem here isn’t the email or the requests from your coworkers — it’s not knowing how to prioritize tasks. Prioritization means intentionally organizing tasks based on their importance, time requirements, and deadlines so you can get more done and feel less stressed. When done effectively, it can be a game-changer.

In this guide, we’ll explore how prioritization can help you take control of your day and your work. 

What prioritizing actually means

Task prioritization involves making decisions when faced by constraints like time, energy, and ability. It helps you rank tasks based on what’s most valuable to get done first so you can allocate your time, energy, and resources effectively.

Prioritizing well doesn’t mean scheduling every minute or always tackling the most complex tasks first. It’s about honing your time management skills so you spend your time and energy on the right things.

Here are some top tips for effective prioritization:

• Start each day with a priority check-in. Spend a few minutes reviewing your task list before opening your email. This approach helps you use your time intentionally rather than getting sidetracked.
• Rank tasks by priority. Don’t tackle tasks randomly. Have a mindset to work on what’s important first. Using a method or framework — we’ll introduce five proven tactics later — can help you prioritize strategically.
• Stay on track with visual reminders and alerts. Use alerts, calendar reminders, and digital sticky notes (such as a pinned message in your team’s Slack channel) to keep your priority list at the top of your mind.
• Time-block your day. Schedule blocks of time for activities like emails, calls, and focus time for deep work. Add them to your calendar and prevent distractions from pulling you away.
• Play to your strengths. A key to productivity is developing self-awareness of your energy patterns, daily habits, and tendencies toward perfectionism or procrastination. Structure your schedule around these patterns to perform your best work when you are most alert and energetic.

Five-step process to prioritize work

Slack research finds workers generally say about 70 percent of their work time is productive. However, employees who end up having to work extra hours to get things done say they feel their daily productivity is blocked because of competing priorities.

Effective prioritization can help change that, but it takes intentional, proactive planning. As you flex your prioritization muscles, follow this step-by-step process to make it a habit:

1. Gather your tasks

Get tasks out of your mind and onto paper or into a digital tool. Include all daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and commitments, even small ones like checking email. For team tasks, create a collaborative document to collect everyone’s thoughts.

2. Choose a prioritization framework

A prioritization framework helps you determine where to focus your time based on factors like importance, urgency, value added, effort required, or resources needed. Choose the framework that evaluates the most critical aspects of your task list. For example, you might use the Eisenhower framework to rank your personal to-do list, while your team might use the Value vs. Effort framework to create shared task lists for projects. We’ll explain popular frameworks in the next section.

3. Evaluate tasks using your framework

Use the framework you selected to evaluate tasks objectively according to your criteria. Seek input from anyone else involved in the project or who will be affected by a task.

4. Create a schedule and stick to it

Schedule your task list based on the results of your matrix — and stick to it. Build in some buffer time so you can adapt when task priorities change, but don’t let every new request become an urgent priority.

5. Review and adjust your priorities frequently

Revisit your order of to-dos regularly as conditions change. Review what you’re prioritizing every day and hold a weekly or monthly team check-in to ensure everyone is aligned on the priority of group goals.

Top prioritization frameworks

You can apply prioritization frameworks to everything from simple, individual tasks to large collaborative projects or more productive meetings. Choosing the right prioritization method to fit your situation can transform how you approach your workload. Each framework addresses different needs and work styles, so consider your current challenges when deciding which one to try.

Eisenhower matrix

This classic framework uses a grid to categorize tasks based on urgency and importance. The Eisenhower matrix helps you quickly separate what truly matters from what feels pressing.

How it works

Divide the grid into four quadrants with the following labels:

• Important and urgent: Top priority tasks that need to be handled quickly.
• Urgent but not important: Tasks that demand your attention but don’t contribute to getting the most important work done.
• Important but not urgent: Critical tasks that lack urgent deadlines.
• Not important, not urgent: Tasks that don’t need your immediate attention and can be deleted or delegated.

Place all tasks into one of the four categories and list them in order of priority.

Best for: Contributors and leaders who need to distinguish between urgent and important work.

Pro tip: Create Slack channels for each category so you have everything visible in one place.

Ivy Lee method

Use the Ivy Lee method to plan the next day’s work based on order of importance. This framework helps you set priorities proactively if you tend to get distracted by new requests throughout the day.

How it works

At the end of each workday, write down the six most important tasks for the next day and rank them by priority. When you sit down at your desk in the morning, work on task No. 1 until it’s done, then move on to No. 2, and so on.

Best for: Solo workers and people who need more structure.

Pro tip: Set up daily reminders in Slack at the beginning and end of the workday to help you stick with your plan.

MoSCoW method

When you have many tasks and limited time or resources, the MoSCoW method helps you focus on the highest priority tasks first by categorizing them.

How it works

Organize each task or requirement into one of the following categories and address them in order of importance.

• Must do. Highest-priority tasks that must be completed today.
• Should do. High-priority tasks that demand progress but aren’t as urgent as “must do” tasks.
• Could do. Tasks that it would be nice to do, but they aren’t high priority.
• Won’t do. Tasks that don’t need your attention.

Best for: Project managers, product development teams, and leaders who need to align expectations regarding deadlines and resource constraints.

Pro tip: For team projects, use virtual collaboration tools to gather input from all team members and stay updated on progress.

Value vs. effort matrix

This method helps you maximize impact with limited resources by evaluating initiatives based on the value they bring compared with the effort required.

How it works

Plot each task or project on a grid with value on one axis and effort on the other. Divide the grid into four quadrants and assign all tasks to one of the categories:

• High value, low effort: Quick wins that deliver immediate value.
• High value, high effort: Strategic initiatives that have high value but require significant time and resources.
• Low value, low effort: Nice-to-have features, if there is time.
• Low value, high effort: Time sinks that don’t add much value.

Best for: Development teams and managers leading team goal-setting meetings, or strategic planning sessions.

Pro tip: Create a shared canvas in Slack where teams can collaborate on task lists and score items based on user value, business value, effort required, and resources needed.

RICE framework

The RICE framework is an in-depth, data-driven framework for making complex decisions with multiple stakeholders at the enterprise or department level.

How it works

Consider each potential item based on how many people it will affect (reach), how it impacts key metrics (impact), how sure you are in your estimates (confidence), and how much work it will take (effort).

Define how you will evaluate each factor, then rank each item on a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important). Calculate the final score using this formula:

• (reach × impact × confidence) ÷ effort = SCORE

Organize the tasks based on the score from highest to lowest. That’s your order of priority.

Best for: Product teams comparing feature options, marketing teams evaluating campaign ideas, or any situation where you need to justify priority decisions with data.

Pro tip: Use Slack Connect to collaborate with external vendors or stakeholders who may provide insights for your decision-making process.

Common prioritization pitfalls

Even the best prioritization systems have potential pitfalls that can derail plans. Recognizing these pitfalls allows you to bounce back quickly and stay focused when circumstances change.

• Cognitive bias: Cognitive bias refers to patterns of thinking that are in error, leading to faulty actions. For example, recency bias can cause you to prioritize the most recent request, while the sunk cost fallacy keeps you working on low-priority projects because you’ve already invested time in them.
• Changing deadlines: When deadlines shift, you may need to reassess your priority list to accommodate new expectations.
• Unclear goals: If goals aren’t clearly defined and agreed upon by team members, it becomes impossible to evaluate which tasks are truly important. This causes both individuals and teams to waste time on busywork instead of achieving meaningful progress.

Ways to get your prioritization back on track

When things go off the rails, don’t give up on your planning efforts. Take the following steps to re-evaluate as goals evolve and new tasks arise:

• Acknowledge the change. Don’t ignore or resist the new reality.
• Assess the impact. What gets delayed or dropped as a result?
• Communicate quickly. Alert anyone affected by the changes.
• Re-prioritize remaining work. Apply your framework to the new situation.

With Slack, you can synchronize teams using recurring workflows that guide you through each step and keep everyone informed of updates.

How Slack supports prioritization

Task prioritization with a framework can improve work efficiency and boost productivity, but making it a daily habit can be challenging. Slack bridges the gap between knowing how to prioritize and acting on it consistently. With channels, reminders, and workflows, you can stay focused and aligned, even when priorities shift unexpectedly.

Slack channels allow asynchronous communication for remote teams, providing all team members with a way to participate in priority discussions. You can apply your prioritization framework to create dedicated channels for task lists based on importance, urgency, value, or other criteria.

Once you have created your priority list, use Slack’s built-in workflow automation to monitor progress and deadlines. Pin task lists based on your prioritization framework in relevant channels, use Slack reminders for deadline check-ins, and set up recurring prompts for regular priority reviews.

You can also use Slack integrations with tools like Asana, Trello, and Jira to connect external task management with the simplicity of Slack communication.

Ready to transform your team’s productivity? Find out how prioritizing tasks in Slack can help streamline your workflows and improve task management.

Prioritization FAQs