If your to-do list feels endless, it might not mean that you’re doing too much. It might be because you’re doing the wrong things. The truth is, not every task deserves equal time, money, or emotional energy. Some things give big returns for the effort you put in, while others quietly drain your resources without much payoff.
That’s where our Task Analysis & Prioritization Worksheet comes in. It helps you take an honest look at where your time and energy go — and which tasks are truly worth it.
Why This Worksheet Works
Most of us make decisions based on urgency instead of impact. Or the classic “It’s the way we’ve always done this!” This worksheet flips that thinking. By tracking your activities and comparing the resources you invest to the payoff you get, you can clearly see which parts of your workload are pulling their weight, and which aren’t.
The goal here is to only do what is worth your time, no more than that!
When you can visualize your work this way, prioritizing becomes simple: do more of what gives you energy and results, and let go of what doesn’t.
So let’s get into it!
How to use the Task Analysis & Prioritization Worksheet
1. Track your activities
For a typical week (and ideally over the course of a month), jot down the tasks or recurring activities that fill your time. Include everything—from big projects to small, everyday responsibilities.
2. Assess your resources
In the teal columns, note how much of your resources each task takes. Think about:
- Financial: Does it cost money or staff hours?
- Time: How many hours does it demand?
- Emotional/stress load: How draining is it to do?
Mark each as High, Mid, or Low.
3. Evaluate the payoff
Next, look at what each task gives back – to you and to the organization. In the gray columns, rate how each one contributes to your goals or satisfaction.
- Financial payoff – Does it generate income or funding?
- Mission payoff – Does it advance your organization’s purpose?
- Relationship payoff – Does it build or strengthen connections?
- Emotional payoff – Does it fulfill you or align with what you want to be doing?
- Strategic Plan – Does it have a longer-term effect on the Strategic Plan guiding your organization forward?
- If none of these apply, mark it as “none”
4. Compare and decide
Once you’ve filled everything out, patterns will start to appear. Tasks that use lots of resources but give little payoff become clear “energy drains,” while small, high-return tasks jump out as priorities.
5. Choose your next moves
At the bottom of the worksheet, there’s space to:
- Identify 3 recurring tasks with worthwhile payoffs to prioritize.
- Identify 3 tasks to eliminate that don’t give enough back.
Focus on what matters most
By using this worksheet, you’re not just organizing your to-do list—you’re learning to protect your most valuable resources: your time, energy, and focus. The more often you pause to analyze your work this way, the easier it becomes to stay focused on what truly matters.
You can download the Task Analysis & Prioritization Worksheet for free on our Resources page — just enter your email to get the link.