The Problem with Universal Priority

When everything becomes urgent, urgency itself becomes meaningless.

The Dilution Effect

Priority is fundamentally about ranking and exclusion. The moment you declare everything equally important, you've eliminated the very concept you're trying to invoke.

This isn't just semantic nitpicking—it's a practical disaster waiting to happen.

What Actually Happens

When teams or individuals treat everything as priority #1:

• Decision paralysis: No clear framework for choosing what to work on first
• Burnout: Constant urgency without relief or progress
• Mediocrity: Spreading attention thin across everything delivers excellence in nothing

The Hard Truth

Real prioritization requires saying no. It requires accepting that some things will wait, some things won't get done, and some people will be disappointed.

The discomfort you feel when making these choices? That's the feeling of actually prioritizing.

The Solution

Have no more than three priorities at any given time. Not four. Not five. Three.

Everything else goes into a "someday" list where it belongs.

Priority isn't about importance—it's about sequence. What gets done first, second, and third.

The rest can wait their turn.