Use This Simple Method to Prioritize Your To-Do List

There are myriad ways to prioritize your to-do list, but even if you find one that works for you, you might find they can be a little weedy and overcomplicated. That means when it comes to tasks that don't quite require that level of involvement, your productivity method can actually manage to stress you out. If you're tired of your to-do list feeling like such a heavy lift, you can make simplifying things, well, simpler by prioritizing your tasks with the "must, should, want" technique.

What is the “must, should, want” technique  

This technique was developed by Jay Shirley about a decade ago. The blogger set out to enhance not only people’s productivity, but their daily enjoyability, too, This is important, as if you're miserable and unmotivated, you're not going to be especially productive. With this system, instead of prioritizing tasks only based on productivity or results, you also incorporate some of what you want to do, which helps round out your day without grinding you down.

Similar to systems like Agile Results, “must, should, want” requires you to spend a little time every morning planning out your day. Setting aside a few dedicated minutes to figuring out the day’s plan is a good way to get in the zone and stay on track, but you have to remember to write down your goals to stay motivated and organized. In your planner (or in an app like Notion, if you want), create three columns: must, should, and want.

Under “Must,” write down what you must do on a given day, whether it’s a smaller piece of a larger, long-term project or an item that is due in a few hours. (If you need help figuring out those pieces and when they need to be done on time to best serve your larger goals, try incorporating the kanban method.) “Should” tasks are those you ought to do for the future, but aren’t down to the wire on yet—or those that won’t be earth-shattering if you don’t get them done right away.

Finally, “want” tasks are those that you’d simply like to do, whether they have to do with your immediate responsibilities or not. "Want" is where this method differs from all others—plenty of methods out there ask you to prioritize your to-dos by level of "must" or "should" level urgency, but only this one leaves room for enjoyment.

You complete each list in order. Getting through the things you must and should do leaves room for the things you want to do, and that pending reward can motivate you through the more rigid stuff.

When and how to use the “must, should, want” method

This works well for an overall day plan, incorporating work and responsibilities with after-hours hobbies. But it’s also helpful for specific projects, as it changes every morning. Today’s “should” tasks might be tomorrow’s “must” tasks, so there’s room for variability and a more fluid approach, as long as you stick with the habit of redoing your lists every morning. Getting a "should" done early can be motivating, but even identifying what is a "must" and what is a "should" can alleviate some of your stress and keep you engaged.

It’s also helpful for budgeting. Before you get paid or go shopping, make a list of what you must buy, what you should buy, and what you want to buy. Even seeing it written out like that will help you make better purchasing decisions.

To keep it all doable and manageable, challenge yourself to only put three to four things in every list on a given day. You’ll never get to the “want” column if you have nine “must” activities and seven “should” tasks, which defeats the point of the technique. Be discerning and if something isn’t a “must,” don’t pressure yourself; just make it a “should.” This approach is designed to inject some fun and reduce the stress from your typical to-do list, but it won’t work if you treat every task like an end-of-the-world necessity.

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