Importance and Immediacy

Originally posted October 26, 2010 on Time to be Mom.

Once upon a time, I was a business major.  Scary, I know.  However, I did learn a few useful things amidst the hours of sheer boredom.  One of the lessons that has not completely left me is that of importance and immediacy.  Of course, as with many other useful tidbits, it had been filed away in the deep recesses of my somewhat foggy memory until this weekend, when I was trying to make a plan to get things done and torn between two things that both needed to be done.
  The basic idea is that you rate things not by one scale, but by two.  You rate things that need to be done on importance: high = MUST be done, medium = Should be done, low = Not necessary (even if it's something you'd like to do). You also rate them on immediacy: this scale you can adjust so it's easy for you to think about.  An example would be; Now, Soon & Later or Today, This Week, This Month.  Once you have rated everything on both scales, you can easily choose which tasks to prioritize.  You can even put them in a chart for an easy visual.
  As I remembered this organizational tool, it occurred to me that this can be a TREMENDOUS help in trying to get control of my chaos.  I can use it for scheduling, for making a plan to keep the house clean, for planning long term goals, etc.  I plan on using it alot. I hope it helps you as well.