When everything matters, what should you do first?

Answer

Priority is not a ranked list of ten active items. Choose the single result to protect now, classify other work as supporting it, waiting on it, or unrelated, and pause commitments that do not belong in the phase.

Observe before acting

Which failed result would make other work irrelevant
Which tasks continue only because they were already promised

Original text and reading

Variation of Tactics · Blend Advantage and Disadvantage

Hence in the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way, we may succeed in accomplishing the essential part of our schemes.

Weigh gain and harm together. Seeing the gain keeps the work moving; seeing the harm keeps you out of trouble.

Variation of Tactics · The General's Responsibility

The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops. The general who does not understand these, may be well acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet he will not be able to turn his knowledge to practical account.

Without flexibility, knowing the terrain gets you no advantage from it, and knowing the favourable conditions gets you no use from your people.

When it does not apply, and common misreadings

Persistent exhaustion or significant distress needs real-world support, not only productivity methods.

Keep reading

Personal focus and tradeoffs

Priority means deciding what will not be active now, not ranking everything.

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