The Prioritising Scheme – Super Productivity

In this article I want to share an approach to task prioritization I started using some time ago. It sits inside The Super Productivity Handbook as a core ritual for keeping your day directional, even when new tasks arrive. It’s inspired by a method I first heard Ben Kamens share in an interview, describing how he approached managing his tasks at Khan Academy. This method works particularly well for deep work workflows where context switches are expensive, yet it’s gentle enough for anyone managing focus challenges.

The Prioritising Scheme – Super Productivity is my shorthand for keeping one list, one focus, and one clear next step, so you’ll see that phrase show up throughout this guide.

The basic idea

The basic premise is straightforward:

1. Put all of your tasks in a single list
2. Order them by priority (most important tasks first)
3. Always work on the first task in the list
4. Re-evaluate priorities regularly

That’s it! Let me explain why this simple approach is so powerful.

Why it works

1. Eliminates decision fatigue

When you sit down to work, you don’t have to decide what to work on. The decision has already been made - you work on the first task in the list. This removes the cognitive overhead of constantly choosing between tasks. By eliminating this decision overhead, you preserve mental energy for the work that matters – what Cal Newport calls deep work, the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks.

2. Forces honest prioritization

Having everything in one ordered list forces you to make hard decisions about what’s truly important. You can’t hide behind categories or multiple lists - you have to decide: is Task A more important than Task B?

3. Adaptable to changing priorities

Life and work are dynamic. New urgent tasks appear, priorities shift. With this system, you simply insert the new task at the appropriate position in your list. The system adapts naturally to changes.

How to implement it in Super Productivity

Super Productivity is perfect for implementing this scheme:

1. Use a single project or the “Today” view for your prioritized list
2. Drag and drop tasks to reorder them by priority
3. Always work on the top task - use the keyboard shortcut Shift+X to quickly start tracking time on it
4. Review regularly - I recommend doing a quick priority review at the start of each day

Pro tips:

• Use the daily summary feature to review your priorities each morning
• Add time estimates to tasks to ensure you’re not overcommitting
• Use tags like #urgent or #important to help with initial prioritization
• Don’t be afraid to move tasks down the list if they’re not as important as you initially thought

Common objections

”But I have different contexts!”

You might work on different projects or have work/personal tasks. That’s fine! You can still maintain a single prioritized list. If context switching is expensive, you might batch similar tasks together in your priority order.

”Some tasks have deadlines”

Tasks with deadlines naturally rise in priority as the deadline approaches. A task due tomorrow is usually more important than one due next month. The beauty is that this is reflected naturally in your single priority list.

”I have too many tasks!”

If your list becomes unwieldy (more than 20-30 tasks), you might want to:

• Move lower priority tasks to a “Someday/Maybe” list
• Be more aggressive about deleting tasks you’re unlikely to do
• Break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces

The key: Regular re-prioritization

The scheme only works if you regularly re-evaluate your priorities. I recommend:

• Daily: Quick 5-minute review to adjust for new tasks and changing priorities
• Weekly: More thorough review to ensure you’re working on what matters most
• Monthly: Step back and look at the bigger picture

My experience

Since adopting this approach, I’ve found that:

• I procrastinate less because there’s no decision to make about what to work on
• I feel more confident that I’m working on the right things
• I complete important tasks more consistently
• I’m less stressed about my task list

Conclusion

The prioritizing scheme is deceptively simple but incredibly powerful. By maintaining a single, ordered list of tasks and always working on the first one, you can eliminate decision fatigue and ensure you’re always working on what matters most.

Give it a try for a week and see how it feels. You might be surprised by how much more focused and productive you become.

Remember: the goal isn’t to complete every task on your list. It’s to ensure that whatever time you do have available is spent on the most important things. For more strategies to refine your workflow, explore our Deep Work Guide for Developers. For even more comprehensive productivity strategies, check out The Super Productivity Handbook.