When we are truly convinced that the next task on our to-do list will significantly advance our goals, we naturally become more enthusiastic about tackling it. Some parts of you believe this to be the case, and other parts very obviously don't. Thus, there is uncertainty about how to prioritize. I think various systems for prioritization get much of their power from addressing some core ambiguity. People thus self-sort into those systems based on whether that ambiguity was a critical bottleneck for them. This post isn't about outlining another set of antidotes but merely mapping out some (not necessarily all) various kinds of ambiguity.
Short-term goals offer clear and immediate feedback, along with satisfying rewards. On the other hand, long-term goals require sustained effort but have the potential to yield higher effort-to-reward ratios if pursued successfully. While a simple first-in-first-out scheme might suffice if our workload were manageable, numerous opportunities constantly arise, leading to a continuous need for prioritization. More opportunities are presented as we refine our prioritization skills, resulting in an ever-growing workload. It's evident that prioritization is an ongoing necessity.
