How to use a Prioritisation Grid
Unlock your potential and the Prioritisation Grid’s power
Abstract
In my previous post, I introduced you to a thought-provoking tool which serves as a powerful visualiser called a prioritisation grid, and highlighted the importance and the role of each quadrant for your reflection.
Read that first if you haven’t done so in order to gain maximum benefit from this post.
The point of this post is to inspire you to best make use of your prioritisation grid. It is all well and good to know what it is, but do you know how to use it? It is a bit more than staring at a piece of paper and no matter how simple or sophisticated an idea is, it is of no use if you do not know how to use it.
This thought-piece provides insight into ideas on how you could best utilise your prioritisation grid and explore how to reap its benefits.
Discussion
From my perspective, there are two extremes on how you could use a prioritisation grid:
Doing it and looking at it once
Having it in front of you at all times
Perhaps you may say having it in front of you all the time is intense, and others may argue that there is no point in just looking at it once.
However, there is no single way to make use of it and neither is more impactful than the other. It depends on how you perceive it to be useful. If you look at it once, it could be just to provide clarity; more so a dump of everything on your mind. On the other hand, one may feel there are many distractions that may lead them astray from their priorities, and having a visual reminder makes it easy for them to decide on commitments and opportunities that they encounter.
How did I use mine?
I did mine just to provide clarity, to which I had it in front of me on my desk for a couple weeks.
It made it a lot easier to make decisions on where I should distribute my time and generally made my future priorities a lot clearer. It meant I was less reactive to new opportunities. This could be good or bad, but I believe this is essentially the root of ‘using your time wisely’ and I became more careful and critical of where I use my energy.
After making the grid, I simply dumped every idea and possibility on my mind, just on one side of an A4 paper. It seemed as if I had condensed all my thoughts and written down the actionable elements of them as to bring them all together.
Even the fleeting thoughts that came and went, I made sure to pull those back - anything my mind had placed energy towards.
What made this so helpful was that it reminded me that the thoughts I wrote down were workable possibilities, and upon reflection I recognised that I could not do it all. Often, we may feel like we can do anything and everything, not knowing this is unrealistic and would lead to inevitable disappointment. I realised this and found it empowering that I could commit to something that I picked and chose in the moment of planning my next steps.
As a result of this, I was much more content with what I chose to focus on.
This essentially gave me peace of mind, as it meant not worrying about whether I was using my time correctly. In addition, it allowed me to remain present in whatever I did on the back of making the prioritisation grid.
The reason why I was in between the two extremes I stated above was not because of conscious thought. I just could not foresee the role it would have in my life. Why? I just had no idea how to use it…
I stopped having the prioritisation grid in front of me when I felt it had the ability to hold me back. Not the case of continuously having deep self-reflection with every action I take, but rather the risk of becoming unknowingly fixated and slightly obsessive over it. Ideally, I wanted to avoid analysis paralysis; doing nothing because you do not know what to do next. Imagine a life where opportunities come and you reply: ‘Let me check back with my prioritisation grid’. You literally will not do anything new. Anything new would be a waste of time.
The period in which I did my prioritisation grid was during the holidays. Therefore, with ample time and the looming shrug of the shoulders saying ‘I have nothing to do’, it was definitely the best thing I could have possibly done. Retrospectively, doing a prioritisation grid during the holidays is far more effective than during school term time or university semesters as you can act in that very moment.
But I didn’t make the conscious decision to not look at it again forever. In the moment I thought it would be no longer impactful as I was reassured that I had made my ambitions concrete and that I had a clear view.
Also in that moment, I intended to review the prioritisation grid (even though I did not put a concrete date in place). The intention was just to review when I thought my priorities have shifted significantly. To say the least, since making that prioritisation grid, I have started university and if I was to look at it now, it would be completely obsolete.
Although I did not get back to making a new prioritisation grid or do a detailed review on my obsolete one, I am still able to visualise my goals, targets, and ambitions without it. By using tools such as my calendar, I still have a clear view on interchanging where time is spent. Hence, perhaps the urge to make another grid is not there as I don’t feel I require deep reflection and review with regards to my priorities.
Anyways, enough about me. Hopefully that has given you a perspective and perhaps you may be able to see commonalities in your experience and mine when using your prioritisation grid.
Here are two questions that may help with the maintenance of your prioritisation grid(s):
When should you do one?
When there is certainty. The last thing you want to do is plan for the long-term in an unpredictable environment. That’s a waste of time and energy which would be unnecessarily frustrating.
When there is certainty, you should find a time where there are no time pressures to make sure you don’t rush the process. If you make the grid, do it with 100% effort and focus.
If there are time pressures and you feel as if you need to make one at once, block out time so you don’t worry about anything else when making/reviewing your grid.
How often should you make one?
Whenever you feel is necessary. If you think a commitment to reviewing your priorities is needed and you are unsure of how often, try to make the review a periodic occurrence, e.g. every month.
But do not obsess over it. It is just a visualiser for you to plan ahead.
Conclusion
Ultimately, by understanding and appreciating the power of making a prioritisation grid, now you can best use it as a tool for what you need to achieve.
One way of using it is no less powerful than the other and is entirely subjective based on what you feel works for you.
What I will reiterate is that a prioritisation grid should be used in conjunction with other tools such as calendars and to-do lists but understand that the full potential of those cannot be unlocked on the back of making an unsatisfactory, half-done prioritisation grid.
One thing I think I have overlooked was the sentiment of making the prioritisation grid and what it has taught me with regards to looking at and reacting to things through the lens of them being important and urgent. Sometimes the thought and slight urge to make another prioritisation grid does come along, but it passes as I reassure myself that I am doing the right thing just by remembering the reason as to why I chose to do something.
Maybe that is all the perspective you need. 🤷🏾
P.S.
What other ways do you think a prioritisation grid can be used?
Feel free to share your experience using/making a prioritisation grid. Are there any contrasting points you noticed compared to this thought-piece?