Are you feeling pulled in too many directions? Stretched too thin? Have you found yourself thinking there just aren’t enough hours in your day to get everything done? There’s no escaping the fact that we lead busy lives, but busy does not have to mean over-committed and chaotic.
Saying yes to every request from your boss or a client might seem like a good way to keep the important people in your professional life happy, but it can also keep you from focusing on what is most important. Learning how to prioritize is crucial to your life and for your Calgary website design.
Think Before You Agree
No one wants to have to say no, but it is important to think through how a task fits in with your current main concerns. Lindsay Kolowich, writing for the HubSpot Blog, offers several strategies for how the most successful people prioritize. She suggests, “Instead of defaulting to “yes,” ask questions about the project (steps, due date, etc.) to gauge how long it might take. And then tell your requester, “Let me look at my schedule and see if I can fit it in.”
For Calgary website design, the top priority must be user experience. Visitors should be able to focus on the most important stuff first and not be overwhelmed by buttons to click or videos to watch. If something gets in the way of user experience, you might need to say no.
Break it Down
Analyze how every request fits in with the goals of your organization. Focusing on completing the projects that will make the largest impact on the company shows that you know how to evaluate requests and make smart decisions. You might even be cut a little slack if you don’t finish some of the little things.
To be able to prioritize well, you need to know your company’s mandate and story. It is what defines who you are to customers and what makes them care. A great company story is fundamental to your Calgary website design.
Know When to Say “No”
No one wants to be perceived as unhelpful or unwilling to be a team player, but reality is more important than perception. Saying no to a request because you have a realistic understanding of your time can create an emotional discomfort, but when others recognize that you are consistently realistic, they will see you as someone who knows how to prioritize effectively.
Web designers, especially, need to know how to evaluate tasks. Never forget that users come first, and any request that strays from that goal will get in the way of a site’s success.
Getting the Job Done
Once you say yes, you need to prioritize to actually finish the work. Lauren Perkins at Inc. recommends five steps:
- Start with a list – Every day, list what needs to be completed that day. The most urgent items on your list will become your top priorities. Lists are also an effective tool for web designers and content strategists. They allow for a number of details to be delivered clearly and concisely, and they’re excellent for your website design’s SEO because they make including key words a lot easier.
- Assess the value – Finishing some things has a more significant impact than others. Because the ramifications of not completing work for a client are greater, put client work before company work.
- Be honest – Don’t say you can do it if you can’t. This will just cause frustration later on. And people might come to see you as having poor judgment.
- Be flexible – Life is often unpredictable, and you have to be able to adapt. What was urgent yesterday might be irrelevant today. Learn to accept change as it happens and adjust priorities when necessary.
- Cut the cord – Finished does not have to be perfect. Putting too much emphasis on one task means neglecting others. Know when to move on.
You don’t have to live your life pushed to the limit. It’s unhealthy and ineffective.
Getting things done does take thought and planning such as making a to-do list and checking off the items one by one, and that extra effort can make all the difference. Prioritizing involves evaluating how every request fits into your company’s—and clients’— goals, and then making informed decisions about how to proceed. At Calgary’s Emphasize Design, turning visitors into customers is our number one priority. Let us create a unique, functional, and inviting website design that works for you, your business, and your customers.
