How many times have you found yourself in the middle of a trivial task only to realize half your day is gone, and you haven’t even started working on that big client proposal?
Most people usually start their workdays by checking emails, following up on previous discussions, and catching up on updates. Sure, that’s important “in case of”, but it’s also very much so counterproductive.
Among prioritization techniques, the ABCDE method comes in very handy as it’s quite straightforward, and lots of agencies prefer using it daily, especially while managing multiple tasks. That being said, in this post, we’re going to cover the ABCDE method, when to use it, and how does it actually work – read on!
What Is The ABCDE Method?
The ABCDE Method is a prioritization technique or a method where one categorizes tasks into 5 different categories, making the top priority the obvious next step.
ABCDE Method is created by Brian Tracy, a renowned public speaker and author.
It basically helps you sort out tasks based on their importance and urgency so you can focus on your priorities. This way, you’ll spend more quality time working on high-value tasks that are necessary for longer-term goals. You’ll better organize your workload and ensure you allocate time and resources efficiently.
Whom Is The ABCDE Method For?
In general, the ABCDE Method can be used by anyone looking for a prioritization technique, but the model is often found to be quite applicable among SME agencies and consultancies.
Regardless of whether you’re a project manager at a creative agency or a team leader at a software company, this method can help you manage the wilderness of clients, timelines, and ongoing projects. It will enable you to distribute resources and delegate tasks while minimizing clutter and preventing omissions.
How Does The ABCDE Method Work?
The ABCDE method helps you list and work on tasks based on their importance. The idea behind this is that, by completing the most important tasks first, you’ll become more productive for the rest of the day.
Why does it matter?
Research shows that 80% of the average workday is spent on things that have “little value” or “no value”. As we tend to procrastinate a lot, whether by checking emails 50 times a day or multitasking, our productivity drops to 40%, which severely damages our results.
Using the ABCDE method, you can learn not just how to prioritize tasks and organize your time, but also how to procrastinate less and focus by eliminating distractions and working on one task at a time.
You simply need to make a list of tasks and order them per their levels of importance and urgency:
- A-level tasks: high priority, high urgency -> do first
- B-level tasks: medium priority, medium urgency -> do next
- C-level tasks: low priority, high urgency -> nice to do after A and B
- D-level tasks: low priority, low urgency -> delegate
- E-level tasks: zero priority, zero urgency -> eliminate
By following the scheme, you’ll work on the most important tasks first. Since these are usually also the most demanding tasks, you’ll be absolutely certain to complete them while energetic and well-rested. As the day goes by, you’ll eventually move on to lighter, less important tasks. This will increase your productivity and sense of accomplishment while reducing your stress levels as you will have [probably] crossed off your A tasks.
How To Implement The ABCDE Method?
To implement the ABCDE method, follow these steps:
1. Create a list of tasks
List all tasks and responsibilities that require your attention or input. These can be tasks such as budget planning, client meetings, team performance reviews, emailing, report creation, and article editing. It’s important to write down everything you've got going on so you can decide what to do first and when.
2. Categorize all tasks
Once you’ve got all the tasks on your list, it’s time to categorize each in one of the following categories:
- A-tasks (very important tasks): these, if not completed, may have serious consequences. E.g., sending visual designs for your client’s marketing campaign or finishing a report for your Leadership team meeting.
- B-tasks (less important tasks): still important tasks, but not as time-sensitive or potentially devastating. E.g., reviewing mockups for a client project due in three weeks.
- C-tasks (nice to do): low-pressure tasks, not as crucial as to require your immediate attention above the other two categories. E.g., an internal process improvement project.
- D-tasks (delegate): tasks you should delegate to your team members, so you can focus on tasks demanding your time and expertise. E.g., software troubleshooting can be delegated to someone on the Tech team.
- E-tasks (eliminate): tasks that have no relevance or value whatsoever for your business goals should be deleted or stored someplace so they don’t stand in your way. E.g., creating social media posts for a campaign you decided to end altogether or brainstorming for a new service offering that showed impossible.
Here's an ABCDE method example in ActiveCollab:
3. Delegate and eliminate any predefined tasks
Since you’ll be focusing on your A, B, and, eventually, C-tasks, free yourself from D and E-tasks:
- Delegate any tasks you think should be done by someone else on your team. Ask yourself if you’ve the skills required for a task at hand or whether a team member might be more qualified to do it. Do you absolutely need to be the one to complete this task?
- All E-tasks should go straight to Trash as you decided to discard them. This way, you won’t get sidetracked by work that’s not worth doing. It’s necessary to think critically as you don’t want to overlook things and delete a task that actually has some value to it.
4. Begin executing
Start working on tasks in order of importance and urgency. Always start with A-tasks, as these are the highest priority ones. Only after you’ve completed A-tasks, move to B-tasks. Unless another more important A-task comes up, your B-tasks will become A-tasks, and so on.
5. Review your progress regularly
Daily and weekly reviews help you stay up to date with your to-dos. Take some time to reassess your priorities, make or adjust to changes as they come, and plan for the future.
These retrospectives will help you improve your prioritization and time management skills since you’ll have valuable information to analyze and interpret. You might learn something about your working style that you’ve not been aware of before.
Tips For Successfully Implementing The ABCDE Method
Even though it’s a powerful prioritization method, the ABCDE method can seem challenging and overwhelming at times. We’ve got some tips for you to help you implement the ABCDE successfully.
Prioritize Tasks Effectively And Strategically
Task prioritization isn’t about what you enjoy doing, it’s about what must be done. Strategic and objective reasoning is essential for you to determine the urgency and priority levels of each task. Ask yourself questions like these:
- What are the tasks that are most significant for your business goals?
- What are the tasks that might cause severe damage if not done on time?
- What are the tasks that can have a big impact on your product or services?
- What are the tasks that I’d better hand over to someone else?
Don’t assume: make informed, strategic decisions about tasks’ importance.
Don’t overcomplicate: if a task seems too complex, break it down into smaller tasks.
Don’t postpone: procrastination kills productivity, so start working on your A-tasks immediately.
Get Rid Of The Micromanagement Attitude
Face it: you can’t do everything on your own. Some tasks belong to other people. It’s understandable that you want to ensure everything is done correctly, but that doesn’t mean everything should be done by yours truly.
To focus on your high priorities, you need to delegate. And to delegate effectively, you need to:
- learn to let go and trust other people,
- ensure you understand your teams’ strengths,
- define what tasks can be delegated, and
- clarify priorities and expectations.
Dedicate Enough Time For High-Priority Tasks
If you’re constantly overwhelmed, distracted, or anyhow interrupted, consider time blocking. Dedicate certain blocks of time to your high-value tasks to remain laser-focused and eliminate procrastination.
If you aren’t sure of your time estimates, better block out more time than you think you might need to complete a task. Either way, you can always adjust your schedule. Whatever happens, always prioritize your A-list items.
Use A Tool For Better Time And Task Management
It’s not always practical to combine spreadsheets, desktop calendars, and mobile notes. It’s actually advised against for the sake of organization and accuracy. You need a way to keep everything in one place -> tasks, assignments, calendars.
A task management tool can really make a difference. For instance, ActiveCollab has many features that can help you create, monitor, and update your ABCDE lists. You’ll do everything in an easier, more structured way, especially with time-tracking and resource planning. These features let you keep track of your time and workload, which you need to know if you want to improve how you handle tasks and manage priorities.
Benefits Of The Implementing ABCDE Method
Let’s see the benefits of the ABCDE method that set it apart from other time and task management techniques.
Simplicity
As long as you’re not overthinking every step of the process, the ABCDE method is pretty painless. With clear task definitions and no-brainer categories, you’ll be able to set priorities in no time.
Enhanced Focus
The ABCDE task lists can increase your focus and mental capacity since you know there’s no other way but to concentrate on high-impact tasks. This will also skyrocket your productivity and decision-making skills.
Helps With Time Management
This method encourages you to use your time wisely. By delegating some, and discarding other tasks, you’ll have more time to work on your priorities. Additionally, when you plan out your schedule, you’ll be prompted to learn to manage and estimate your time even better.
Discouraged Procrastination
Technically, you can always procrastinate. However, the ABCDE method instills a sense of urgency and accountability, which makes you automatically “wired” for work. When combined with time blocking, this prioritization technique can certainly help you become more productive and less distracted.
Conclusion – ABCDE Method Powered by ActiveCollab
ABCDE method is a super simple prioritization method that works on almost any occasion, but it’s usually the most effective when applied in SME agencies and consultancies.
The reason for this is simple – service businesses such as agencies and consultancies often battle with juggling multiple projects simultaneously, and once those projects are broken down into tasks, everything looks like a priority.
This is exactly why we developed ActiveCollab – the ultimate productivity and collaboration workspace for SMEs, where the application of prioritization methods comes in super smooth.
Once you have a clear overview of all the tasks in your Kanban board or Gantt chart, and once you categorize them using the ABCDE method, you can assign them labels, deadlines, and set up task dependencies.
Once you assign them to the corresponding person or yourself, you can track the progress in custom reports of how your project is progressing, and you can even see how much on the plate your delegatees have by using the Workload feature.
Truth be told, possibilities are endless, but they are tailored specifically for agencies and consultancies that deal with multiple projects and clients.
Interested to see it in action? Try it out on our 14-day free trial, or book a demo and let us show you how it works!
