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I think I developed a new prioritizing scheme. I don’t know if it is innovative or new at all, but for me it is really starting to work.

It is kind of simple, but just works and fixes the following problems with prioritization schemes I’ve always had:

• Too many tasks have always the highest priority, they need all to be done. It is just frustrating to look at a list of tasks that is too long.
• Proper prioritization of tasks and todo items is a lot of work and requires regular maintenance.
• Multiple prioritization levels are a pain. What is actually important in prioritization level 3 or higher? I’ve stopped at three, but even then, 3 was always the “throwaway priority” that left me with a bad feeling. More than two priority levels are confusing at best.
• Tasks not in the highest priority level won’t be done at all. Important tasks are often forgotten, just because they never reached the highest priority level.

Ok, and here for my solution. I call it “priority splitting”. The first steps are similar to any other prioritization scheme, but read through so you may get this “Aha” effect like I did:

1. Take a flat list of tasks (no priorities, no nothing).
2. Split the list into two:
   One list that contains the “more important” tasks.
   Another list that contains the “less important” tasks.
3. (warning: recursion) Repeat step two for the “more important” tasks, until you can not split further. The last list contains all tasks are equally highly important. I call this list the “most important” task list.
4. Work at all the “most important” tasks until they are finished.
5. Remove the “most important” task list, take the “less important” tasks from the latest split and go to 2.

The “Aha” effect:

After finishing all the “most important” tasks, the “less important” tasks of the latest split should be just the candidate for the next “most important” task list.

But as requirements change and new insights are surfacing while you do your work, the previous “less important” tasks may split again. This “resplitting discipline” ensures that eventually all tasks are reevaluated and reprioritized.

Additionally, the “less important” task list of the latest split won’t contain a lot of entries, so resplitting them should be simple and fast.

What about new tasks?

This is probably the biggest flaw in this system, but may be not bigger than in any other. Right now I insert them at a position in a “less important” list where it just seems to fit in. I feel that the “most important” list should not be changed once I start working at it. This ensures that I am able to prepare for upcoming tasks in the list.

Additionally you may categorize your global list into smaller ones before you start the priority splitting for each. This ensures that the “most important” tasks that pop out are related. Working at them should not require expensive mind/context switches.

If you’d like to start a web site or company based on Priority Splitting, just contact me.