When every task feels equally important

We often have this problem with planning: we waste time at the beginning of the day trying to figure out which task to tackle first. I definitely need some sort of system, because sometimes I sit down and get carried away with a task that, post factum, could have waited.

Do you remember the Eisenhower Matrix, with its four combinations of urgent and important? I used to sort things into those quadrants. After a few years, only the non-urgent, important ones seem to have remained. Most of my tasks now have similar priorities, and I just need to know that anything urgent gets my attention first.

I keep priorities in Jira too, for a mix of work and private tasks. Since I handed Jira management to one of my OpenClaw agents, though, the times I see my actual Jira backlog are few and far between. Instead, I check the agent's weekly reports on task progress and sprint planning.

I also try to focus on one thing per day where I can, since that minimises switching costs. As for breaks, more than a year ago I made a resolution to work out for 2.5 hours every morning, no matter what. 😄🥵 It mostly sorted out my other issues with focus, sleep and needing breaks. Frankly, it now feels more like my working day is a break between workouts, haha.

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Zhenia