Welcome to the first post of Kate’s Career Tips Series! This series is all about sharing tips that I’ve found extremely helpful in navigating my career. As you read above, this post is focused on the #1 tool I use for managing priorities, ensuring I focus my energy on what’s most important day-to-day.

I began my first corporate job in my early twenties. I knew little about the world of business, but I was ready to take on the challenge. It didn’t matter the task, I operated under the motto, “put me in coach!” As I grew in the organization, so did my responsibility. And I loved it.

Since that time, I’ve grown and matured in my professional career. I am more efficient, strategic, and decisive today because of the experiences, mentors, and exposure to successful leaders I’ve encountered. And I am still learning every day. I hope always to be.

Early in my career at a leadership conference, I heard a keynote speaker who made a huge impact on me. He spoke about many topics; however, the one that stuck with me was the practice of boiling down your priorities list to three focused activities a day.

Here is how I’ve taken that advice and put it into practice.

• Rule #1: Write down (or type) everything. It’s helpful to keep all content in the same place (preferably one with a search feature). I use the Apple Notes application because it’s accessible across all of my devices. Plus, adding content on the go from my phone or tablet is easy.
• Rule #2: Don’t stress out about the volume of information. Make note of the major topics and keep track of them in one running list. The bold feature is how I track important topics, projects, etc.
• Rule #3: At the end of each day, plan for the next. Refer to your running list of major topics and determine which three are the highest priorities. This method works best when there is an overarching strategy with goals and a schedule in place to reference.
• Rule #4: Understand that you can’t boil the ocean. Assign one activity to each of the top three priorities selected. These activities should move you forward, closer to the overall goal for each priority. When assigning activities, I ask myself, “What activities need to happen tomorrow to call the day a success?”
• Rule # 5: Write down (or type) the three activities for the next day. I typically write these on a sticky note and leave them on my desk for the following morning.
• Rule #6: Celebrate the progress you’ve made at the end of each day!

That’s it! All you have to remember is to capture, prioritize, act, and repeat.

To close out this post, I want to make one final statement.

No matter the bag full of tips and tricks you have up your sleeve, you’re bound to have an off day. And that’s okay. I most certainly have days where I feel walls are closing in on me. In those situations, remind yourself that you’re a rockstar and tomorrow is a new day.

Share below your favorite method for managing dueling priorities, deadlines, and endless tasks. I look forward to learning from you.