---
title: Prioritizing Your Work
teaser: 'It''s hard pick the most important thing to work on. Here''s a guide to help.

  '
tags: process,consulting
author: Edward Loveall
published_on: 2019-08-27
---

Trying to do the most important work at any one time
is an evergreen struggle in consulting.
I've come up with a few lists to help make this less ambiguous.
I'll keep this short.

## Picking a Task to Work On

If there's a task that answers one of these questions,
pick that first.
Questions are
ordered from most to least important.

1. Is there an upcoming event that is dependent on a task?
2. Did the client ask for something specifically?
3. Did users request something?
4. Are you blocking a teammate by not doing a task?
5. What do you want to work on?

## Refactoring

When refactoring,
I keep the following in mind:

- Is this refactor in service of a feature?
  If not,
  maybe don't do it.
- Always set a time limit
  (timeboxing)
  and re-evaluate at the end whether
  or not to continue the refactor
  or revert back to the old code.

## Doing an Ambiguous Task

Sometimes,
you run into a task that contains a lot of unknowns
like working with an API that has little-to-no documentation.
Don't go off into the wilderness and emerge hours or days later.

- Timebox it.
- If you're not making progress after about _15 minutes_
  reach out to people who could help.
- Pair with someone so they can give you a wider perspective
  and keep you from going down unproductive paths.
- Don't be afraid to scrap your work and start over
  if you feel like you've started down the wrong path.

I've found these lists helpful in getting unstuck
and getting tasks done.
Hopefully you'll find the same.