Breaking the Prioritization Paralysis: Four Common Mindset Traps and How to Overcome Them

Are you struggling with prioritizing your to-do list? Sometimes, it's not just a matter of time management or organization - it can also be a matter of mindset. Questions of effectiveness, contribution, working with stakeholders, or problems just saying no can run us aground. We feel like we must keep ownership of things but we’re not sure why or we’ve got some mental drama about stating what we believe we should be doing.

In coaching, sometimes these mindset blocks will come up when asking questions like:

• Why can’t you hand off this project, you’re not the obvious owner?

• Why are you on every email thread – are you really a stakeholder on every project?

• What are your priorities? What do you believe you should own?

Here are the top four mindset blocks around prioritization I see come up with my clients:

1. Making it personal: if you’ve tied your self-worth to how much you do [maybe it sounds like ‘being there for my team’?] then the idea of pushing back feels like a character flaw and not a normal part of working with others. Try this: Make a list of all the areas of your life where you are adding value. Pick the ones that matter most to you. Write down how else you could be adding value if you weren’t spread as thin.
   

2. Can’t say no: if you are afraid of negative feedback or concerned that other people won’t like you if you deprioritize their project – you may be stuck in the trap of people pleasing. Try this: Rather than trying to see into the future with how people will react to your rejection, get clear on what’s really important and how much time you really have. With that clarity, you can depersonalize picking your priorities.
   

3. Perfectionism: if something has stayed on your to-do list forever and you’re either endlessly revising or endlessly avoiding it – you may be stuck on a perfectionist quest. Try this: Take the next best step – if it’s nearly done, move it forward – get feedback from your team, schedule the review meeting, etc. If you’re avoiding it – commit to spending 5 minutes on it or writing two sentences. Just start.
   

4. Outsourcing authority: if you freeze up when you look at your list of to-dos and you really want someone else to tell you what’s important – you may be outsourcing your authority. Try this: Amy Porterfield talks about this idea of ‘unbossing yourself’ – I love this term, it’s the idea that as an owner (whether of your own business or just of your job) you are ultimately responsible. Good intentions aren’t enough, you must claim authority and do the work. Decide what decision you can make and where someone else’s input would be helpful. Not so they can make the decision, but so they can inform your judgement.

If you find you are struggling with prioritizing, check in with yourself. Do any of the themes above resonate? If you try out these steps and can’t make progress, reach out – this is where coaching can be super helpful.