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Hey IT pros,

A few days ago, I asked our community a simple question:

How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively in IT?

I've distilled all of the takeaways from that question into the below points

How do you prioritize fires?

Anything you’d add?

🔥 The Reality of Fire-Fighting - Like many IT pros joke, "Everything is a fire and whoever has the higher title, usually their fire gets fixed first." This candid approach shows how sometimes, urgency is dictated more by hierarchy than actual need.

📅 Email as a Task Manager - While some might find it unconventional, using email as a task manager is still a go-to for many, especially for tasks flagged by a boss as important. It's about keeping it simple and direct.

🎲 Eisenhower's Matrix for Prioritizing - For structuring chaos, the Eisenhower Matrix is a classic tool that helps sort tasks into categories of importance and urgency, guiding IT pros on what to tackle first.

🚫 The Art of Saying 'No' - As one IT pro pointed out, learning to say "no" more often is crucial, especially in a field where requests can come fast and frequently.

🤖 Automate to Alleviate - Embracing automation is key. As one professional noted, understanding business impact and automating where possible can save countless hours, and as another golden rule: never deploy on a Friday!

☕ Caffeine and Quick Fixes - Relying on coffee or energy drinks and using humor to cope with stress are common. It’s about fueling up and finding the lighter side of the IT chaos.

👔 Business Impact Drives Priority - Focusing on tasks with the biggest impact on business turnover or direct orders from company leaders is a pragmatic approach for prioritizing effectively.

🛠️ Tools and Systems for Triage - Using tools like ClickUp, Asana, or even bespoke systems tailored to the IT environment helps manage the workload. Systems that categorize the urgency and scope of impact, like company-wide versus individual issues, are particularly valuable.

👍 Empowerment Through Delegation - Effective delegation not only helps in managing one's own workload but also empowers the team. It's about trusting colleagues to handle tasks, which can lead to more efficient problem-solving.

Using these tools and strategies can help IT pros navigate their day with ease and less stress.

Whether it's simply taking a quick coffee break or using decision matrxies, these insights can help every IT pro to succeed.

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Cheers! 🍻

Stetson