Prioritize Your Business With the ABC Method

Prioritizing your to-do list is the key to getting things done. You need to make sure that you devote enough time to complex and important tasks, but at the same time leave room for smaller ones. Try the ABC method for dividing your responsibilities for the day.

What is the ABC method?

Classifying your tasks by need, due date, and time required to complete is important, which is why some people use the Eisenhower Matrix , while others overload their Google calendars . One of the simplest methods was developed by Alan Lakin, the author best known for his classic time management books such as How to Take Control of Your Time and Your Life . He suggested giving priority status in terms of “A”, “B”, and “C” to everything you should do:

• “A” items are “mandatory” tasks that are important or critical and have close deadlines.
• Category B tasks are “must have” meaning they have a medium priority level, will become important over time, but do not have an upcoming deadline.
• “C” is for anything currently of low priority, either because it has few immediate impacts or because it doesn’t have a close deadline.

Determining what’s important to get done right now and what can wait will help you feel less overwhelmed and know what to get started on, so you spend less time thinking about where to even start.

How to implement this method into your workday

Go through your entire to-do list and start rating each task as an A-, B-, or C-level. Then think about what you are going to do with them. We recommend a method like the 3-3-3 method , which involves three hours of deep work on a large project (one of your A tasks), completing three mid-level projects (those are your B tasks), and some time. left over for small tasks (your C subjects).

You can also set aside full days for specific tasks, especially if your A duties are really demanding. Having a themed day will help keep you busy for hours without worrying about other, less important responsibilities, so consider devoting a whole day to work A, the next day to work B, and a day after that to work C Evaluate your lettering system every morning or so, as even C-level projects can suddenly turn into A-level urgency projects.