Looking around my house I see piles of uncompleted projects, boxes of clothes that haven’t been worn in years, and to-do lists a mile long. Sometimes, I even spend time re-writing the to-do list in a more organized way, just to find that I remember more things – the list gets longer. The pattern repeats itself week after week. 

If you find yourself in this situation too, I’ve learned one tip that might help: The “when factor.”

As I was browsing the Internet for a good deal on an air fryer to support my health goals, my brother asked me a powerful question: “When do you plan on making time to learn how to use it?” I reflected for a moment, shut down the web page, and responded “good point. I don’t have time for that.” 

The powerful word “when” stuck with me as I worked to apply it to the chaos surrounding me. While I knew “when” was about setting priorities, I didn’t know how to set them. After all, isn’t the highest priority whatever is actually in front of you at the moment? This faulty thinking is what led to the chaos in the first place. 

If the highest priority isn’t what is in the line of sight, how do we set the “when factor?” As you read the rest of this article, grab your to-do list and three highlighters, then follow along!

Step 1: Have your to-do list on one piece of paper (or electronic device). Have another piece of blank paper (or a whiteboard) next to it. 

Step 2: Highlight urgent tasks. 

• Use pink for things that have to get done today. 
• Use yellow for things that need to get done this week. 
• Use green for things that need to get done this month. 
• It is OK to leave items without hi-lights. 
• Do not highlight the entire paper in pink! 

Step 3: Put a * next to tasks that you must personally complete yourself. While strong entrepreneurs often think they must take everything on for themselves, that is not true. The first step is being willing to ask for help, and then receiving it. Don’t expect tasks to be done your way. Instead, share the outcome goal and due date with your helpers. 

Step 4: Complete the following prioritization matrix

Next steps:

Now that you have your matrix, stop thinking about it and take action immediately. Begin today’s priorities with tasks that require other people time to respond, and at least one chunk of each big task. Save small tasks, individual tasks, and low-brain-power tasks (like washing your dishes) for the end of the day. 

Your power of “when” matrix is not a one-time event! Save this article and come back to it once a week. Put a 15-minute weekly chunk in your calendar now! This is your weekly date with yourself to transform your chaos into meaningful action.