How to Triage Your Tasks (Without Losing Your Mind)

13.01.26 01:24 PM - Comment(s) - By delsadarline

When everything feels urgent, nothing gets done well. 
​Task triage is how you stop reacting and start making strategic moves—fast

What “task triage” actually means
Task triage is the quick process of sorting what’s on your plate into:
  • What must be handled now
  • What can wait
  • What should be delegated
  • What should be deleted

It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing the right things in the right order.

Step 1: Do a 5-minute brain dump (no organizing yet)

Set a timer for 5 minutes.

  • Write every task, worry, follow-up, and “oh yeah” down
  • Keep it ugly and fast
  • If it’s in your head, it’s stealing focus

Rule: if you can’t see it, you can’t prioritize it.

Step 2: Label every task with ONE of these four tags

Use these tags to force clarity:

  • Now: Time-sensitive and high impact
  • Next: Important, but not time-sensitive today
  • Later: Good idea, low urgency
  • Never: Not your job, not your goal, or not worth it

If you’re stuck, ask: What breaks if this doesn’t happen today?

Step 3: Add a “cost of delay” score (0–3)

This is the secret weapon. Give each task a quick score:

  • 0 = nothing happens if it waits
  • 1 = mild inconvenience
  • 2 = real consequences (lost money, missed deadline, relationship damage)
  • 3 = fire (legal, safety, major revenue, major reputation)

Anything scored 2–3 gets pulled forward.

Step 4: Separate “impact work” from “maintenance work”

Most people drown because they treat everything the same.
  • Impact work: moves revenue, growth, clients, outcomes
  • Maintenance work: keeps the lights on (email, admin, errands)


Aim for at least one impact task per day. Even on chaos days.

Step 5: Use the 3D filter: Do, Delegate, Defer

For each task, choose one:

  • Do: Only if it’s high impact and truly needs you
  • Delegate: If someone else can do it 80% as well
  • Defer: If it’s real, but not for today

If you’re a solo operator, “delegate” can still mean:

  • Automate it
  • Template it
  • Batch it
  • Pay for it (even small)

Step 6: Pick your “Top 3” for today (and stop negotiating)

Your Top 3 should include:

1 urgent/time-sensitive item (if you have one)
1 impact item (growth/revenue)
1 maintenance item (keeps things from piling up)

Everything else becomes optional.

Step 7: Build a simple triage board (paper, Notion, or sticky notes)

Create four columns:

  • Now
  • Next
  • Later
  • Never

Then add one more column if you’re spicy:

  • Waiting on (because half your “tasks” are actually other people’s delays)

Common triage traps (and how to stop falling for them)

  • Trap: “It’ll only take 2 minutes.”Those 2-minute tasks multiply like rabbits. Batch them.
  • Trap: Prioritizing what’s loudest. Loud is not the same as important.
  • Trap: Confusing motion with progress. Busy is not a strategy.


If your list is always exploding, it’s not a “time management” problem—it’s a capacity problem. Triage helps you see that clearly so you can make better moves: simplify, delegate, automate, or say no.  Most importantly - DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DRAGGED INTO SOMEONE ELSES TIMELINE.



delsadarline

Categories -
Biz Dev
Share -
Tags -