365 days wait step = Lessons in prioritization

Alysha Khan • public
• 2 min read

And we're back with our usually scheduled programming!

I once saw a 365-day wait step when I was poking through a client instance.

My memory of the client's explanation of why this wait step existed is pretty much blocked from my memory probably due to the sheer shock of seeing it in the first place.

And I did absolutely nothing about it because the priorities for that client did not include fixing this absolutely bonkers wait step.  

Which leads us to this Sunday's topic:

Prioritization (because if everything is top priority, the nothing is top priority)

The reality of Marketing Operations is that even when we have roadmaps and project plans and campaign strategies, we will still be faced with a flood of random requests from everyone and their cousins.

For the millionth bajillionth time, why is this record an MQL?

Can you build me this absolutely unnecessary report that I could absolutely pull on my own?

Oh and btw, can you make me this UTM cause the directions in the sheet are too confusing to even bother reading?

It's very easy to get stuck in this firefighting, when you say jump, I say how high mode.

So how do we break out of this cycle and focus on what actually matters?

Prioritization. Aggressive, ruthless, borderline psychopathic prioritization based on your team's KPIs and your organization's revenue goals.

It's getting comfortable asking people to justify their asks, telling them no or maybe later if we have time, or providing a simpler V1 that gets them close enough without eating your bandwidth. It's doing thorough scoping so you actually understand the problem at hand and don't waste too much time spinning your wheels. It's holding your personal boundaries and deprioritizing one task when something else gets added on.

And most importantly, it's a skill and like all skills, it's going to take practice and mistakes before you get really good at prioritization.

Tips for the coming week

  1. Zapier has a great resource featuring 10 different methods of task prioritization. Review it and find one way that appeals to you the most to use this week to prioritize your tasks.
  2. Find one moment this week to consciously walk away from some drama or problem because it doesn't serve your larger goals.

See you next week,

🫶🏽 Alysha

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