Why Prioritizing Feels So Draining:

Constantly deciding “What should I do next?” can exhaust your mental energy. This decision fatigue happens because every choices we make uses up precious focus . The goal of the strategies below is to offload those on-the-spot decisions onto simple systems or tools. By letting a schedule, checklist, or visual cue tell you what to do, you conserve brainpower and avoid the paralysis of having too many choices . The key is to set up low-effort routines so you can spend more time doing tasks and less time figuring out the order of tasks.

Priority Matrix (Urgent vs. Important):

If you struggle to decide what really matters, an Eisenhower Matrix can help. Draw a simple four-quadrant box: label the quadrants as 1) Urgent & Important, 2) Important but Not Urgent, 3) Urgent but Not Important, 4) Neither. Write each task into the appropriate box. This gives you a visual map of which tasks deserve immediate action and which can wait. It sounds fancy, but it’s just a way to categorize your tasks by urgency and importance. You’ll often find that only a couple tasks are true “Quadrant 1” emergencies. Tackle those first, schedule or delegate the “Important but not Urgent” ones, and consider dropping or deferring the rest.

Try “Most Important Task” Methods (Decide Once per Day)

Another approach to reduce mental load is adopting a rule that pre-selects your top priorities each day, so you’re not constantly recalculating what’s most important. Two popular low-effort methods are the MIT (Most Important Tasks) technique and the Ivy Lee method:

The Ivy Lee Method:

At the end of each day, jot down a short list of the tasks you need to do tomorrow (typically 6 or fewer items) and rank them in order of importance . The next day, start with the first task and work on it until it’s done before moving on to the next. If you don’t finish all tasks, any leftovers move to the next day’s list. This method is powerful because it forces prioritization ahead of time – you make all your “what next” decisions in one sitting (when you write the list). During the day, you follow the list without needing to re-prioritize . It also encourages single-task focus: you’re only ever truly working on the top item, instead of juggling everything at once. This helpful to avoid getting sidetracked by less important chores or emails, since you’ve committed to your written priority order.

MIT (Most Important Tasks):

This is a slight variation where you choose a small number of absolutely critical tasks for the day – often 3 (or even just 1 if you’re really overwhelmed). These are your must-dos that you decide on in advance. By identifying your MITs, you give yourself permission to focus on just those and consider the day a success if they get done. It simplifies your mental landscape because no matter how many other to-dos are floating around, you’ve defined what winning the day looks like.

Productivity experts note that picking 1–3 MITs ensures your attention goes to high-impact tasks first . You can write your MITs at the top of a notebook page or in a task app’s “Today” list. When you find yourself between tasks or losing focus, simply refer back to your MIT list – it tells you what to work on next. Completing an MIT can also give a nice dopamine boost, which might help energize you to tackle the next thing. If you get only your MITs done and nothing else, that’s still a productive day.

“Eat the Frog”:

This oddly named trick (attributed to Mark Twain) means doing the hardest or most dreaded task first thing in the day, so that everything else feels easier by comparison. It’s a form of prioritization – you’re deciding that one task is the must-do (maybe it’s urgent, or you’ve procrastinated on it too long). By knocking it out early, you avoid the mental stress of it hanging over you. This can reduce fatigue because you’re not using mental energy to avoid the task or battle with yourself all day about doing it. If you often find that one big task paralyzes you, this method can be freeing. You can even combine it with the MIT approach (e.g. make your “frog” one of your 1–3 MITs, and do it first).

All of these methods aim to front-load your decision-making. You decide once (either the night before or in the morning) what your priorities are, and then you don’t question it further that day. This spares you from constantly weighing options whenever you finish something. Pick whichever variant feels easiest – some people love having a full ranked list (Ivy Lee), others prefer just a couple of targets (MIT). You might experiment to see which works for you better. The common thread is: make a short, realistic list of what matters most, and let that guide you.

Comparison of Low-Effort Prioritization Strategies: (Choose the combo that fits you best!)

Strategy	What It Is	How It Helps	Best For
Priority Matrix (Eisenhower Matrix)	Categorise tasks into 4 types: 1. Urgent & Important 2. Important but Not Urgent 3. Urgent but Not Important 4. Neither	Gives a clear visual of what truly matters. Helps you delegate, schedule, or drop non-essential tasks.	When you’re overwhelmed by too many “urgent” things
Ivy Lee Method	Each evening, list up to 6 tasks for the next day, in order of importance. Do them in sequence.	Removes on-the-spot decisions. Promotes single-task focus. Creates calm structure.	If you like end-of-day planning and a set path
MIT (Most Important Tasks)	Pick 1–3 critical tasks at the start of the day. These define your success.	Simplifies your day. Focuses your energy on what matters most. Builds momentum.	When you feel scattered or uncertain where to begin
Eat the Frog	Do the hardest, most avoided task first thing in the morning.	Relieves dread and frees up mental energy. Sets the tone for the day.	If one big task is blocking your motivation or progress