Planning and Prioritizing

IQ is not the biggest driver of success.  We give very little thought to “how” we think, but it is our cognitive processes that makes us productive, not IQ.  Executive Function skills are self-management skills used to achieve goals.  It’s how we manage our emotions and attention, reflect upon and revise our tactics as circumstances change, and organize and plan our work and time.  These skills are critical for being productive and meeting the challenges of our professional lives.  That is the key distinction between Executive Functions and intellect or IQ.  A person with a high IQ can understand and discuss complex concepts and yet not be able to write an essay, solve problems, or complete a report.  It’s not because they lack intellect.  It’s because they can’t effectively marshal their efforts toward a specific goal.

Here is an analogy.  Think of your IQ like a car’s engine while your Executive Functions are the gas, oil, belts, pistons and hoses that allow the engine to run effectively.  A 2021 Dodge Challenger has a muscular Hemi V8 engine with up to 807 horsepower.  It has plenty of power to cruise down the highway on a sunny day.  But it won’t go very far if it has faulty spark plug wires.  And the engine will crack if it has no oil.  The Executive Functions are the cognitive processes in our brains that allow us to learn, do work and achieve goals.  They are essential and pivotal for every level of work, from entry level employee to C-Suite executive to global leaders.  Arguably, if your executive functions are strong but you have just an average IQ, most anything is achievable.  But if you are a genius but have faulty or weak Executive Functions, you probably won’t achieve much.

It is believed that there are eight Executive Functions that include:  Self-Control / Inhibition; Working Memory; Planning and Prioritizing; Shifting / Adaptability; Updating; Cognitive Flexibility; Decision-making; and Fluid Intelligence.  But some believe that there are actually 12 cognitive processes, not eight.  The additional four are:  Emotional Control; Self-Monitoring / Self-Awareness; Task Initiation / Drive; and Organization.  Whether eight or 12, all Executive Functions are important.

Let’s look at one that is particularly essential for practically every profession or occupation:  planning and prioritization.  Planning – the ability to think about the future and mentally anticipate the best way to carry out a task or reach a specific goal – is important for just about any job at any level.  Basically, planning allows us to create a roadmap to reach a goal or complete a task.  This mental process enables us to not only choose the steps necessary to reach a goal, but decide the right order, assign each task to the proper cognitive resources, and establish a blueprint for moving forward.

What is Planning and Prioritization?

Planning is part of a group of skills related to a person’s ability to identify and manage future-orientated tasks.  Because planning behaviors involve how a person identifies future responsibilities and events, sets goals to complete them, and analyzes the steps needed to complete the task ahead of time, this cognitive skill is closely tied to prioritization and organization.  In fact, planning is basically the organization of future time and resources.  We use planning along with these other skills to gather information or resources and assemble it into main ideas and processes.

Prioritization involves deciding what is most important in order to determine the order that tasks should be performed.  It’s also key for achieving goals. Deciding on steps of a process and thinking through that process to work toward the most important tasks first can be challenging even for adults.  Prioritization requires deciding what is most important so we can know what to focus on first and what can wait until later.  But discerning which tasks are more critical from those that are less urgent is not always easy or clear.  Not everyone can prioritize effectively.  In fact, a lot of incredibly intelligent people have trouble with planning.  Quite simply, some people’s brains are naturally wired for maintaining order, while others’ aren’t.  It’s a matter of neuroscience.  The back-left part of the brain is where linear planning happens.  People who have natural brain dominance in the back-left part of their brain will find it easy to plan.  For those who don’t, planning will not come as easily.  For example, very creative people – who often think in pictures — may initially have a difficult time translating their conceptual ideas into practical actions that then find a space on their calendars.

What are the qualities to make a good plan or set priorities?

Managers want employees to recognize and perform routine tasks efficiently, without a lot of challenges, delays or disruptions.  To do that, workers must plan and prioritize.  Planning ties directly into problem-solving and achievement.  So what makes a person good at creating a plan and setting priorities?

1. A good planner is detail-oriented.  A good planner should be able to see the big picture as well as the small details.  He also needs to be detail-oriented enough so that he can make sure that all of their tasks are being completed on time and effectively.  A good planner is able to take a large project, personal or professional, and break it down into manageable bites.

2. A good planner is empathetic and proactive.  When planning a project, it is more than just getting all the tasks done. It is important to consider how team members are going to feel when they are completing these tasks.  A good planner understands that emotions, good or bad, can have great impact on how well someone responds.

3. A good planner has a positive attitude and works smoothly with others.  A good planner is a person who sees the bigger picture, and with that, has the ability to be positive and work well with others.  He is able to handle working on different projects and doesn’t get discouraged easily. He also needs to handle feedback well in order to generate ideas for their creativity.  A good planner will always keep his attitude in a positive mindset, even when things get difficult. He knows that it’s just as important to be able to collaborate with others as it is to have creative ideas because nothing major gets done by a party of one.

4. A good planner possesses strong communication skills.  It is important for a good planner to be able to communicate with people. This means that he should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to communicate ideas well.  A good planner will be able to keep his cool in any situation and mitigate risk by thinking ahead.  They should also be able to present his ideas in a way that others can understand it. It is important for them to not only know what his idea is, but also how it will benefit the specific person he is speaking to.

5. A good planner is flexible in his approach to planning.  A good planner keeps himself updated with new productivity trends and hacks, but knows when to use them and when to stay the course. He understands the importance of being organized and how to use time effectively.  A good planner uses a daily routine worksheet to work backwards and find the problem – and then create an ideal routine.

6. A good planner has the ability to focus.  A good planner needs to be able to focus during the planning phase, but also have the ability to focus and stay consistent during the implementation phase.  Whether making plans to reorganize files or plan a corporate retreat, it is important to focus on actually creating a plan, as well as following the plan, because who wants to arrive at a Board meeting without the quarterly report?

7. A good planner is practical.  One of the most important parts about being a good planner is being a practical person.  Everything from budgeting to organizing to parenting requires some degree of practicality. Being able to take a practical approach in life will help you set reasonable goals and stay sane in the process.

Is Planning and Prioritization Necessary?

Without planning and prioritization, actions taken in a thoughtless or careless manner will likely take more time and energy and are more likely to result in costly missteps, mistakes and miscalculations.  And yet many people still struggle with these cognitive processes.  But, when an employee struggles with planning, it can cause a lot of problems.  Here are six common ones:

1. It can result in frustrations, escape, and avoidance behaviors.
2. It can create unnecessary last-minute rushes and emergencies that affect not just coworkers but other stakeholders.
3. It can cause a lack of motivation. If the project isn’t explicitly laid out, it’s easy to waste time or procrastinate.  If there is no clear first step, it is harder to know if things are starting the right way.  Moving from “to do” to “in progress” is a big mental barrier, and poor planning can make it even bigger.
4. Work can end up wasted.  If a lot of work is done under incorrect assumptions, it will have to be done over again.  A murky understanding of a project’s end goals will likely mean time and effort will be spent in the wrong areas.  That is an unnecessary waste of time and energy.
5. Time is often wasted.  Working without planning is an excellent way to waste hours. Not planning does not mean that there is no plan at all.  It means planning is being done, forcibly, at the same time as the work is being done.  If there is no plan, time will be wasted. Guaranteed.
6. Defining goals late in the production schedule almost always results in wasted or duplicated efforts, and it’s a great way to paint yourself into a deadline corner.

When planning and prioritization are difficult for a person, getting everyday tasks done can feel and become more challenging. Many people never master these cognitive processes for various reasons.  And it gets harder especially as life gets busier and schedules get fuller.  So what is a manager or leader to do?  There are ways to strengthen these cognitive processes.  Next week, we will look at specific strategies and steps to take to become better at planning and prioritization.  Stay tuned.

Quote of the Week

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln

© 2022, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.