Welcome back to Plan Like a Boss. I'm Tanya, music teacher, planning fanatic, and business owner of over 20 years. And today we're talking about how to prioritize when everything feels important. Let's be real for a second. Some days it feels like your life is a giant dumpster fire. I mean, everything is on fire. The emails are piling up. Your planner looks like a freaking crime scene, and every task on your list is screaming, I'm urgent. If you've ever sat down at your desk and thought, I don't even know where to start, I want you to know that you are not alone. I have been there more times than I can count. Especially when I'm running multiple businesses, creating content, and managing all the adulting that comes with life. But here's the truth: not everything that feels important actually is important. So today we're gonna walk through how to untangle that chaos and figure out what really deserves your time, energy, and focus. Now, when everything feels equally urgent, your brain short circuits. It's like trying to juggle 10 balls while balancing on a yoga ball. Eventually, something's gonna hit the floor. And here's what makes it worse: you care deeply. You want to do your best work, you want to show up for your people, and you don't want to drop the ball on the things that really matter. But trying to do everything at once just dilutes your impact, and you end up doing 10 things halfway instead of doing one thing really well. So, first, I want you to give yourself permission to pause because you're not lazy, you're not behind, you're human. And clarity can't exist in chaos. You have to give yourself permission to slow down long enough to think clearly. So, step one, you are going to braind the chaos. When everything feels urgent, your first job isn't to prioritize, it's to externalize. So grab a notebook, index cards, or even a piece of junk mail. I personally like to use a piece of paper from the recycling can I keep next to my desk. Next, I want you to write everything down. Don't organize it, don't make it cute. The uglier, the better. Just get it out of your head. Because when your brain is trying to hold your to-do list, your deadlines, your grocery list, and your big goals all at once, it treats them all as equally urgent. That's why it feels like you're drowning. Your brain hasn't had the chance to see the big picture. But once it's all out, you can finally see what you're working with. Step two, I want you to ask yourself a question. What is going to move the needle? Now, here is where things shift. I want you to look at that list and ask what will actually move the needle towards the goal that I'm working on right now. Not what's the loudest, not what's the easiest, not what's gonna make someone else happy, but what will create meaningful progress towards your goals? This is one of my favorite questions because it immediately filters out all the busy work. Sometimes that means doing the uncomfortable thing, like finally launching that sales page or recording that podcast episode while letting all the other small stuff wait another day. But I want you to remember, progress doesn't come from checking more boxes. It comes from checking the right boxes. Now, step three, I want you to define your top three. Once you know what's going to move the needle, I want you to narrow your focus to three things max. That's it. Now, I love the one, three, five rule. One big task, three medium tasks, and five small ones. If you have the capacity. But honestly, even just choosing your top three priorities can completely change how your entire day feels. When you give your energy to fewer things, you actually make progress instead of constantly spinning your wheels. At the end of the day, that progress, no matter how small, is what builds momentum. And that's what really gets you moving. Step four, I want you to match your energy to your tasks. Now, one thing that often gets overlooked: your energy matters as much as your time. If you're low energy, don't force yourself to do your most creative or strategic work. Instead, match the task to your energy level. So if you're tired, do something administrative or mechanical, something that is going to take no brain cells to do. If you're feeling sharper inspired, then that's the time to dive into some deep work. That's the time to start creating. When you plan around your energy instead of just around your clock, prioritization stops feeling like punishment and it starts feeling like alignment. Step five, reassess and release. I want you to remember this. Priorities aren't permanent. That's right. Priorities are not permanent. What's most important this week may not be the most important thing next week. Maybe this week it's launching your new website, but next week your mom ends up in the hospital. Mom is way more important than anything business related. So you're going to have to change your priorities. This doesn't just apply to emergencies either. So give yourself permission to reassess regularly. Things change, life changes, and so do your priorities. And maybe most importantly, release the guilt over what doesn't get done because priority is not a moral issue. You are not a bad entrepreneur or creative because you didn't finish everything. Instead, you're learning to focus on what matters most. And that is powerful growth. So next time you feel pulled in a hundred different directions, pause and ask yourself, what will move the needle right now? That one question can pull you out of the overwhelm and back into momentum. Now, if this episode hit home for you, I want you to take a screenshot and share it on Instagram. Tag me at dr. Tanya Lawson. That's at dr.tanyawson. I'd love to hear what needle moving task you're focusing on this week. And if you're ready to get more intentional about your planning, my next quarterly planning workshop is coming up on December 13th. So if you're tired of feeling behind, overwhelmed, or like you're doing everything except the things that truly move your business forward, this workshop was made for you. Hop on over to tanyalawson.comslash plan to make sure you get a seat. I'll put it in the show notes as well. And until next time, keep planning like a boss.