Why are Professionals Struggling to Prioritise (and What Science Says Can Fix It)

Another meeting notification pops up – five minutes to go. Your screen is full of open tabs, each one pulling you toward something that needs your attention right now. That big project you’ve been meaning to work on for weeks? Still sitting there untouched. By the end of the day, you feel that familiar frustration: you’ve been busy all day, but what did you actually get done?

It’s not just about having too much work. The real challenge is figuring out what deserves our attention when everything seems urgent. The old advice about making to-do lists and blocking out your calendar sounds great, but it falls flat when you’re dealing with endless emails, back-to-back meetings, and notifications that won’t stop. We’re not struggling to manage time, we’re fighting to get our focus back in a world that keeps scattering it.

The Real Cost of Being “Busy”

When we bounce between tasks all day, the damage goes deeper than just missed deadlines. Our minds never fully settle on anything. Those golden moments of deep focus, when you’re really solving a problem or creating something meaningful, become rare.

Here’s a wake-up call: office workers now spend about a third of their day just handling their inbox, according to McKinsey’s research. And that’s just emails. Studies show we switch tasks roughly every six minutes. Each switch drains our mental energy. No wonder we feel exhausted by mid-afternoon, even if we haven’t tackled our most important work.

This hits organisations hard too. Smart, capable people spend hours on low-value tasks instead of strategic work. Teams end up reacting to the loudest demands rather than focusing on long-term goals. Being busy gets mistaken for being productive, while the work that really matters keeps getting pushed back.

Why It’s So Hard to Prioritise

Sorting through priorities isn’t just about time management anymore. Today’s workplace makes it especially tough. Every team has their own urgent needs, and when you’re working across different departments, everyone thinks their project should be at the top of your list. It’s exhausting trying to figure out what truly needs your attention now versus what just feels urgent in the moment.

Add in remote work and different time zones, and it gets even messier. You might start your day with clear priorities, only to have them derailed by urgent messages from colleagues who started their workday while you were sleeping. Before you know it, you’re stuck in a cycle of reacting to requests instead of focusing on what you actually need to get done.

What Actually Works

While there’s no perfect solution, there are practical ways to cut through the noise and focus on what matters:

Focus on What Actually Matters

The Eisenhower Matrix helps sort through the noise. Think of it as four buckets:

  1. Urgent and important tasks: Do these first
  2. Important but not urgent work: Schedule time for these – they often drive long-term success
  3. Urgent but not important things: See if someone else can handle these
  4. Neither urgent nor important: Let these go

This isn’t just about organising tasks but about being honest about what deserves your time and what doesn’t.

Limit Your Daily Must-Dos

Stop trying to tackle twenty things at once. Research shows you’ll get better results by focusing on one to three important tasks each day. Think of it as building momentum through focused effort rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Create Space for Deep Work

Block out specific hours for focused work. Turn off notifications, close your email, and treat this time like you would any other important meeting. Save quick tasks and admin work for when your energy is lower.

Save Your Mental Energy

Your brain has limited decision-making power each day. Make things easier by streamlining regular tasks – whether that’s planning your weeks ahead or handling routine work in batches. Think of it as clearing the path for important work.

Use the 80/20 Rule

Most of your results probably come from a small portion of your work. Figure out which activities really move the needle for your role and prioritise those. It’s not about working more – it’s about focusing on what makes the biggest difference.

Making It Work in Real Life

Of course, this all sounds great in theory. Here’s how to make it work when things get messy:

 

  • Share the Load: Let go of tasks others can handle. Delegation isn’t about passing off work – it’s about making space for what only you can do.
  • Get Comfortable Saying: No Learn to politely decline tasks and meetings that don’t align with your priorities. Being selective about your commitments means you can fully show up for what matters.
  • Break Down Big Projects: When important work feels overwhelming, break it into smaller steps. Small wins build momentum and make big goals feel more manageable.
  • Make Rest Non-Negotiable: You can’t keep pushing without breaks. Protect your energy by getting enough sleep, exercise, and time away from work. It’s not just good for you – it makes you better at your job.
  • Check In With Yourself: Take a few minutes each week to review what worked and what didn’t. Adjust your approach based on what you learn. No system is perfect, but you can keep improving.

The pressure to do everything at once isn’t going away. But you can get better at cutting through the noise and focusing on what matters. It’s not about being perfect – it’s about making progress on what’s important, one step at a time.
Start small. Pick one idea from this article and try it next week. See what works for you and build from there. Remember: every time you say no to something that’s not a priority, you’re saying yes to something that is.