Use this printable to compare tasks and choose what to start first. Move top to bottom on page 1. If there is still a tie at the end, go to page 2 and run a pairwise tiebreak.

How the workbook flows

1. Capture your tasks so you can see the whole field.
2. Score them with a weighted rubric that balances impact, urgency, effort, and risk.
3. Drop the top contenders into an Eisenhower box to clarify timing.
4. Run a quick yes or no checklist to surface immediate wins.
5. Apply the decision rule. If two tasks are still tied, resolve it with page 2’s pairwise comparison.

1) Task Capture

List up to 12 tasks with short names. Each task gets an ID number 1 to 12. Keep the wording concrete and action ready. Examples: “Submit tax forms,” “Draft proposal outline,” “Call supplier,” “Book dentist,” “Clean inbox to zero,” “Write landing page intro.”

Why it matters:

• It reduces switching costs by letting you choose from a single, visible list.
• IDs make later steps faster and clearer.

Tip: If a task is vague, rewrite it as a next action you can do in one sitting.

2) Weighted Scorecard

Rate each task on four criteria from 1 to 5. Higher is better for impact and urgency. Higher is worse for effort and risk, so those two are reverse scored before weighting.

Criteria

• Impact: How much positive result this task produces when finished.
• Urgency: How soon a real deadline or window arrives.
• Effort: Time and energy required. Use 1 for easy and 5 for heavy, then reverse it.
• Risk: Exposure if delayed or done poorly. Use 1 for low and 5 for high, then reverse it.

Weights
Set one weight for each criterion, for example:

• Impact weight x3
• Urgency weight x2
• Effort weight x2
• Risk weight x1

Scoring steps

1. Rate each task on all four criteria.
2. Reverse the Effort and Risk ratings by computing 6 minus the raw score. Example: raw Effort 4 becomes 2.
3. Multiply each rating by its weight and sum to get the Weighted Total.
4. Rank tasks by Weighted Total.

Guidelines for consistent ratings:

• Calibrate with anchor tasks. Pick one very high impact task and one modest impact task to set your internal scale before scoring the rest.
• Keep urgency objective. Ask whether a deadline exists within the next week, 48 hours, or today.
• For effort, think in blocks of time you actually schedule, such as 15, 30, or 60 minutes.
• For risk, consider legal, financial, relationship, or reputation consequence.

3) Eisenhower Box

Place task IDs into four quadrants:

• Important and Urgent: Do first.
• Important and Not Urgent: Schedule next.
• Not Important and Urgent: Delegate or set a tight limit.
• Not Important and Not Urgent: Delete or defer far out.

Use this after the scorecard to check if any high total is actually a scheduling trap. A task with a good score but low urgency may not beat a smaller, time critical task.

4) Speed Checklist

For the top few candidates from the scorecard and the box, circle yes or no:

• Is there a hard deadline within 48 hours
• Does this unblock several other tasks
• Will delay create real risk or cost
• Is the next step crystal clear
• Can it be finished in under 60 minutes
• Does it move a top goal forward

This turns the final choice into a crisp filter. Count the yes answers per task.

Decision Rule

Pick the task that has the highest Weighted Total and also the most yes answers on the checklist. If there is still a tie, go to page 2.

Page 2: Pairwise Comparison

Use this grid to compare up to 6 tasks labeled T1 to T6. For each pair, circle the winner and write a brief reason. At the end, count wins across the row for each task. The task with the most wins is your final pick.

How to compare fairly:

• Use one consistent question for every matchup, such as “Which one creates more progress today”
• Note a one line reason. Example: “T3 unblocks two teammates” or “T2 meets a client deadline.”
• If two tasks are truly equal, prefer the one with a clearer next action or shorter completion time.

Worked mini example

• Weights: Impact 3, Urgency 2, Effort 2, Risk 1.
• Three tasks:
  T1 Write proposal draft
  T2 Call supplier about missing parts
  T3 File quarterly taxes

Ratings:

• T1 Impact 4, Urgency 3, Effort 3, Risk 2
  Reverse Effort 3 becomes 3, Reverse Risk 2 becomes 4
  Weighted Total = 4×3 + 3×2 + 3×2 + 4×1 = 12 + 6 + 6 + 4 = 28
• T2 Impact 3, Urgency 4, Effort 2, Risk 3
  Reverse Effort 4, Reverse Risk 3
  Weighted Total = 3×3 + 4×2 + 4×2 + 3×1 = 9 + 8 + 8 + 3 = 28
• T3 Impact 5, Urgency 5, Effort 4, Risk 4
  Reverse Effort 2, Reverse Risk 2
  Weighted Total = 5×3 + 5×2 + 2×2 + 2×1 = 15 + 10 + 4 + 2 = 31

Eisenhower check:

• T3 falls in Important and Urgent.
• T1 is Important and Not Urgent.
• T2 is Important and Urgent if production is blocked this week, otherwise Important and Not Urgent.

Speed checklist for T3: deadline within 48 hours yes, unblocks others yes, real risk yes, next step clear yes, under 60 minutes no, moves a top goal forward yes. That is five yes answers. T3 wins.

Tips for real world use

• Score it once, then act. The workbook is a decision tool, not a procrastination device.
• Keep the weights stable for a month so your choices line up with your strategy.
• When a task wins, schedule it on your calendar immediately with a first step.
• After completion, return to the capture list and pick the next winner. Momentum compounds.

Use this workflow any time your list feels noisy. It converts fuzzy priorities into a single clear next move, so you spend less time deciding and more time delivering.