Prioritization

Key points:

  • πŸ’‘ Prioritizing important tasks over urgent but less important tasks is key to career success.
  • πŸ”” Urgency often creates false importance, like notifications that demand attention but don't actually matter.
  • πŸ”₯ Focus on tasks that are both urgent and important first, like handling emergencies.
  • 🚫 Learn to say 'no' to tasks that are urgent but not important in order to focus on high-impact work.
  • πŸ€” Many tasks we put off are important but hard, and tackling them first can improve productivity.
  • πŸ— Break down large, difficult tasks into smaller pieces to make consistent progress every day.
  • πŸͺ¨ Think of your day as a jar: put the big rocks (important tasks) in first before filling it with sand (small tasks).
  • πŸ‘₯ Delegation is key to efficiency: give away tasks you’ve mastered to others so you can focus on higher-value work.

Starting at Amazon as a Senior Manager, then Director, then Vice President, Ethan has decades of experience at top tech companies. This career growth course is developed from his own knowledge and input from his extensive network of fellow coaches and executives.