The average professional carries dozens of items on their to-do list, and not all of them are worth doing: you’re only doing them because someone asked, it caught your attention, you noticed it needed doing, or you’ve always done it. When our to-do lists are too long, we think working better and faster is the solution. But in truth, we need a shorter list. How can we get there?
In this episode, Joel and Marissa walk through the Priority Filter, a simple Venn diagram of three overlapping circles: YOU (Is it uniquely yours to do?), ROI (Is it high leverage?), and NOW (Does it matter now?). They unpack each test, showing how the filter scales from your Daily Big Three to your annual goals and revealing where each WorkStyle is likely to get stuck. Then, they boil the whole model down to one question you can use every time you need to prioritize.
Key Takeaways
- YOU: Your Wiring Matters. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Ask whether a task fits your wiring and truly belongs to you. Capability, habit, and a visible need are not good enough reasons to take it on.
- ROI: You’re Paid for Results. ROI asks whether the return on results is worth your investment of time, attention, and energy. Consider the results you’re paid to deliver. Which activities drive those results?
- NOW: Relevance Beats Urgency. What does this moment call for? Look at the full context: which deadlines are truly fixed, what snowballs if delayed, what gets you in trouble, what advances your goals, and what helps you perform at your best.
- WorkStyles Have Different Sticking Points. Givers need the YOU filter—clarifying what's really theirs to do. Achievers and Optimizers need to reassess ROI—whether that checkmark or slight improvement is really moving the needle. And Jugglers and Improvisers need to weigh the full context of now—asking what the moment calls for, rather than reacting to urgency or novelty.
- Memorize This Question. Write it in your planner and keep it top of mind: What’s mine to do that drives results and matters now? Return to it when you choose your Daily Big Three, during your Weekly Preview, when you set goals, and any time you’re stuck on what to do next.
Resources
This episode was produced by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound
