🗂️ Prioritizing work makes the dream work!

[#1]

🤔 Have you already started using Confluence Whiteboards Beta version?

If you are just getting started and need some ideas on how to make use of Whiteboard’s functionality I have just the tip for you!

I personally struggle with keeping track of all my current tasks and long-term ideas for development. That is why I researched ways to incorporate a matrix to prioritize my work and get myself organized.

Let me show you a way to make prioritizing work a lot more fun! 🤩

I am sure that you have seen this Eisenhower matrix before but incorporating it in Confluence Whiteboards makes it much more easier to plan your work accordingly.

I used the notes to build the main blocks. There is also a ready-to-use template available for you to get started even faster. But here is what makes a huge difference - the division of the tasks.

I like to first start at the tasks I need to Do Now. That is the area with tasks that do not demand so much time and I can gain a quick win by completing them. I usually do that on weekly basis, to keep these tasks updated. Having that section complete gives my brain some rest and a proper overview of what I can manage to do myself.

Coming from that point its easy to move tasks which can be delegated to my team. Delegating these tasks gives an extra relief as I know what the next steps are to provide clarity for my colleagues to move forward with that task.

Once I have some brain space I write down tasks that require more of my focus and energy in the Decide area. Those are the tasks that I would plan time to brainstorm and work on. From that section, I can easily create smaller tasks that I move to the Do Now section.

Finally, having a Delete pile is where I move tasks that are no longer necessary to do. Sometimes I put research topics there to still keep track of my ideas but as projects move forward I can officially remove them. I review the Delete section each month to analyze if priorities have changed and if I need to move some of the tasks to a more urgent state.

Here are some other benefits to using this type of system to prioritize and organize your work:

• It makes you consider the importance of your tasks 💥

• It helps to reevaluate what is urgent and what is not ❓

• It teaches better self-awareness and helps you practice self-analysis 💭

• It helps you become better and easier decisions about your work ✔️

💡What are other ways in which you incorporate Atlassian products to make your work more fun and efficient?

[Andy Gladstone]

@ElenaK_NemetschekBG thank you for taking the time to share this Confluence Whiteboards use case with the community. I am going to build out a template like you demonstrated here - but not for the Eisenhower Matrix. I need to go through a 9-box  assessment and was thinking about how to create it and keep it updated in Confluence. This post is what inspired me to create it via a Whiteboard!

[ElenaK_NemetschekBG]

HI @Andy Gladstone

Thanks for popping in with a comment on this post. 

Do you use the 9-box assessment only as a talent management tool? Or do you also use it for planning? If so, how do you make it work? Would love to see how you incorporate it in Confluence Whiteboards.

[Andy Gladstone]

Hmm @ElenaK_NemetschekBG I always assumed that the act of completing the 9-box is a bit of both. The assessment leads to talent management. Who we need to work with to move them up, or need to move out.