Prioritization

Prioritization means arranging tasks, issues, or decisions in order of importance or urgency to manage time and resources effectively. It's a critical skill in fields like healthcare, project management, productivity, and decision-making.

Common prioritization methods: Eisenhower Matrix – Urgent vs. Important.

Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) – Focus on the 20% of tasks that yield 80% of the results.

MoSCoW Method – Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have.

Impact/Effort Matrix – Prioritize high-impact, low-effort tasks first.

FIFO (First In, First Out) – Handle tasks in the order they arrive.

RICE Scoring – Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort (used in product and project management).

Example in medicine: A patient with acute increased intracranial pressure due to a brain tumor is prioritized over a patient with chronic lumbar disc herniation without neurological deficits. Here, both clinical urgency and risk to life are considered.