When you’re managing incoming work, it can feel overwhelming—a constant flood of requests, emails, and tasks competing for your attention. Without a thoughtful system in place, it’s easy to feel scattered or reactive. You don’t want to disappoint people, you want to be helpful, you want to shield your team from the incoming, and maybe you even like doing some of the ad-hoc work. The good news? You’re already prioritizing, even if you don’t realize it. The key is to observe what you’re doing, make those practices explicit, and then refine them to better serve your goals and your team.

Key Takeaways

• Prioritization is inevitable: You’re already sorting tasks, so the first step is to observe and name your current approach.
• Make decisions explicit: Understanding what you’re doing helps you decide if adjustments are needed.
• Consider the ripple effects: When you say “yes” to something, what else needs to shift?
• Look to your team: Observing how your team handles incoming work can provide insights into your own strengths and gaps.

Step 1: Observe What’s Already Happening

Before you create or refine a system for managing incoming work, take a step back and evaluate your current approach. Ask yourself:

• Is this tied to an organizational priority? Which one?
• By when does it need to be done, and why? Do I know?
• Who is making this request, and who are the stakeholders?
  • How does my response vary with different stakeholders?
• What is our team’s role in this project?
• Who on the team has the capacity to take this on?
• How long do I think it will take?
• If we say yes to this, what else needs to be deprioritized, delayed, or declined?

This clarity not only helps you prioritize but also creates transparency for your team and stakeholders. It might also show you which questions you’re not currently asking…

Step 2: Analyze Patterns and Decide What to Tweak

• Once you start observing, you can analyze the patterns.
  • Which of the questions above are guiding your decision-making most?
  • Which answers to these questions get you to prioritize work?