How do I know I’m working on the right thing? This is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself, and most people never do.

The to-do list trap

To-do lists are very useful tools, and we will feel very productive by check items off of them. However, they are also misleading.

There’s something deeply satisfying about crossing items off a list. It gives us a sense of progress, of accomplishment, of forward motion. But this satisfaction can be deceptive.

Task lists by themselves, if used without setting priorities, could lead you to work a lot on items that don’t really move you forward. It is best to make sure that you are actually working on the high importance items that will pay off the most for you.

The problem is that to-do lists treat all tasks as equal. They don’t distinguish between tasks that will change your life and tasks that are just busywork. They don’t help you choose between urgent tasks and important tasks. They don’t guide you toward your goals.

When you work from a simple to-do list, you’re likely to:

• Choose easy tasks over important ones
• Focus on urgent tasks over meaningful ones
• Work on things that feel productive but aren’t actually valuable
• Miss opportunities to work on high-impact activities
• Waste time on low-value busywork

The difference between busy and productive

Being busy and being productive are not the same thing. You can be incredibly busy while making no real progress toward your goals.

Busy work includes:

• Responding to every email immediately
• Attending meetings that don’t require your input
• Organizing and reorganizing your workspace
• Checking social media and news constantly
• Doing tasks that could be delegated or automated
• Working on low-priority items because they’re easy

Productive work includes:

• Tasks that move you toward your goals
• Activities that create lasting value
• Work that leverages your unique skills and strengths
• Projects that solve real problems
• Actions that build important relationships
• Efforts that develop your skills and knowledge

The key question is: “Will this task still matter in a week, a month, or a year?” If the answer is no, it’s probably not the right thing to work on.

The ABCDE method

There are systems that are very good at helping you determine what to prioritize, such as the ABCDE method and the Eisenhower Box.

The ABCDE method is a simple but powerful prioritization system:

A tasks: Must do. These are critical tasks that have serious consequences if not completed. They directly impact your most important goals.

B tasks: Should do. These are important tasks that have mild consequences if not completed. They support your goals but aren’t critical.

C tasks: Nice to do. These are tasks that would be good to complete but have no consequences if they don’t get done.

D tasks: Delegate. These are tasks that should be done by someone else. They’re not the best use of your time and skills.

E tasks: Eliminate. These are tasks that don’t need to be done at all. They’re pure busywork with no value.

How to use the ABCDE method:

1. Write down all your tasks
2. Assign each task a letter (A, B, C, D, or E)
3. Work only on A tasks until they’re complete
4. Then move to B tasks
5. Delegate D tasks
6. Eliminate E tasks entirely

The Eisenhower Box

The Eisenhower Box (also called the Urgent-Important Matrix) helps you distinguish between urgent and important tasks:

Urgent and Important (Do First): Crises, deadlines, problems that need immediate attention.

Important but Not Urgent (Schedule): Planning, relationship building, skill development, goal setting.

Urgent but Not Important (Delegate): Interruptions, some meetings, some emails, some phone calls.

Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate): Time wasters, busywork, some social media, some entertainment.

The key insight is that most of your time should be spent on “Important but Not Urgent” tasks. These are the activities that prevent crises, build your future, and create lasting value.

Most people spend too much time on “Urgent and Important” tasks because they’ve neglected the “Important but Not Urgent” ones.

How to identify high-value tasks

To determine if you’re working on the right thing, ask yourself these questions:

Does this task align with my goals? Is it moving me toward what I want to achieve in my life, career, or relationships?

Does this task leverage my unique strengths? Am I the best person to do this, or could someone else do it just as well?

Does this task create lasting value? Will the results still matter tomorrow, next week, or next year?

Does this task have a high return on investment? Am I getting more value out than I’m putting in?

Does this task build important relationships? Is it strengthening connections with people who matter to me?

Does this task develop my skills? Am I learning or growing in ways that will serve me in the future?

If you can’t answer “yes” to at least one of these questions, you’re probably not working on the right thing.

The 80/20 principle

The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. This means that most of what you do has little impact, while a small portion of your work creates most of your success.

To apply this principle:

• Identify the 20% of activities that create 80% of your results
• Focus more time and energy on those activities
• Reduce or eliminate the 80% of activities that create only 20% of your results

This requires brutal honesty about what’s actually working. You might discover that some of your most time-consuming activities are actually low-value.

Creating your ladder of values

“Create a ladder of values and priorities in your life, reminding yourself of what really matters to you.” — Robert Greene

This quote captures the essence of effective prioritization. You need to know what matters most to you before you can decide what to work on.

To create your ladder of values:

1. Identify your core values: What principles guide your life? What do you stand for? What would you fight for?

2. Define your goals: What do you want to achieve? What would success look like in different areas of your life?

3. Rank your priorities: What matters most right now? What can wait? What’s truly urgent vs. what just feels urgent?

4. Align your tasks: Does each task support your values and goals? If not, why are you doing it?

5. Review regularly: Your values and priorities will change over time. Revisit them regularly.

Practical steps to work on the right things

Here’s how to implement better prioritization:

1. Start with your goals: Write down your most important goals for the next month, quarter, and year.

2. List all your tasks: Write down everything you need to do, want to do, or think you should do.

3. Apply a prioritization system: Use the ABCDE method or Eisenhower Box to categorize your tasks.

4. Schedule your A tasks: Block time for your most important work. Don’t let urgent but less important tasks take over.

5. Eliminate or delegate low-value tasks: Stop doing things that don’t matter. Delegate tasks that others can do better.

6. Review and adjust: At the end of each day or week, review what you accomplished and adjust your priorities.

Common prioritization mistakes

Working on the easiest tasks first: This feels productive but often means you’re avoiding the most important work.

Responding to every request immediately: This makes you feel helpful but can prevent you from working on your own priorities.

Confusing urgent with important: Just because something needs to be done soon doesn’t mean it’s worth doing.

Trying to do everything: You can’t do everything well. Focus on what matters most and let the rest go.

Not reviewing your priorities regularly: Your priorities should change as your circumstances and goals change.

Working on other people’s priorities: Make sure you’re working on your own goals, not just helping others achieve theirs.

The impact of working on the right things

When you consistently work on the right things, you’ll notice several positive changes:

Better results: You’ll achieve more of what matters to you with less effort.

Less stress: You’ll feel more in control and less overwhelmed.

More satisfaction: You’ll feel proud of your work and confident in your choices.

Better relationships: You’ll have more time and energy for the people who matter to you.

Faster progress: You’ll move toward your goals more quickly and efficiently.

Greater confidence: You’ll trust your judgment and decision-making abilities.

The bottom line

Working on the right thing is more important than working hard. You can work incredibly hard on the wrong things and still not achieve your goals.

The key is to be intentional about your priorities. Don’t let your to-do list drive your decisions. Let your values and goals drive your to-do list.

Start today. Pick one prioritization system (ABCDE or Eisenhower Box) and apply it to your current tasks. Notice which tasks are actually important and which are just busywork.

Be ruthless about eliminating low-value activities. Every minute you spend on something that doesn’t matter is a minute you can’t spend on something that does.

Remember: you can’t do everything, but you can do the most important things. Focus on what will create the most value for you and the people you care about.

Try it this week. Use one of these prioritization systems to organize your tasks. Notice how it changes your focus and your results. You might be surprised by how much more you accomplish when you’re working on the right things.