We bounce between meetings every day, at the end of each one adding something to our to-do list. From there we try to deliver, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Constant prioritization and communication is important for yourself and for your teams. Here’s why:

• By allowing other people’s priorities to dictate your day, it will become hard to get to your actual work.
• Your teams can become frazzled, balancing between everyone’s expectations.
• Now you are frustrated that your team isn’t delivering on-time.

In 2022, Microsoft posted this article about hybrid work. They talk about productivity paranoia: managers worry their employees are not delivering on work, and employees are trying to prove that they’re actually working.

So how do we keep prioritization at the forefront for ourselves and our teams?

• Plan with your teams 30, 60 and 90 days out. What do you need to accomplish for your organization? What can you all let go of?
• Have a plan for how to handle other people’s action items for your teams. Empower them to say “No” and how to handle necessary action items.
• Check in weekly to see how you and your teams are doing on necessary action items. You don’t have to own your team member’s lists, but open it up to discussion so they feel aligned with their team and manager.

While prioritization may feel like an additional step in your workweek, it is imperative so you do not lose sight of what matters most. When leaders make priorities visible and talk about them often, teams spend less time reacting and more time delivering meaningful work.