How to prioritize tasks when everything seems urgent

If everything is urgent, nothing is. The feeling that every task is screaming "do me first" is usually a sign that a clear prioritization criterion is missing. Here are three proven methods and how to bring them to your board.

1. The Eisenhower matrix

Classify each task along two axes: urgent and important. Urgent and important gets done now; important but not urgent gets scheduled; urgent but not important gets delegated; the rest gets dropped. Use color labels to mark each quadrant on your cards.

2. MoSCoW

For projects with a defined scope: label each task as Must (essential), Should (important), Could (nice to have) or Won't(out for now). It's ideal for negotiating scope with clients or managers.

3. A single "In progress" column

The simplest trick of all: limit how many cards can be in progress at once. If the limit is three and there are already three, you don't start a fourth until you finish one. Prioritization becomes physical.

Bring it to the board

In Decknote you can combine filters by label and assignee to see, in seconds, only what matters this week. And since every view (kanban, table, calendar) respects the filter, you look at priorities from whichever angle you need.

Create your free Decknote account and try all of this on your own board — no credit card required.