# Pick my top five priorities and a must-do, should-do, can-wait list

Narrows a long workload to five clear priorities plus a must-do, should-do, can-wait list you can share with your manager.

- Topic: Productivity & Planning
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Productivity, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/pick-my-top-five-priorities-and-a-must-do-should-do-can-wait-list

## Prompt

```text
Help me cut my workload down to five clear priorities.

**Everything on my plate:** [PASTE TASKS, PROJECTS, AND REQUESTS]
**What my manager or team expects most from me right now:** [e.g. "close the audit findings", "ship the pricing page"]
**Time frame:** [this week / this month / this quarter]
**Hard deadlines and commitments I cannot move:** [DETAILS]

Rules:
- Top five means five. If two items are really one outcome, combine them; do not sneak in a sixth.
- Must-do = a real consequence if missed (deadline, customer, compliance, a commitment I made). Should-do = clear value but can slip a little. Can-wait = fine to defer or drop for this period.
- Write each priority as an outcome ("Signed vendor contract by May 15"), not an activity ("work on vendor stuff").
- If something is urgent but low value, say so instead of ranking it high.

Return:
1. My top five priorities, each with the outcome, why it made the list, and the next action.
2. Must-do / Should-do / Can-wait lists, one line per item with the reason.
3. Items that need a conversation (someone expects them but they landed in Can-wait), with a one-line message I can send.
4. A short version I can paste into Teams or Slack to align with my manager.

Mark anything you lack the facts to classify as [CONFIRM] rather than guessing.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE TASKS, PROJECTS, AND REQUESTS
- e.g. "close the audit findings", "ship the pricing page"
- this week / this month / this quarter
- DETAILS
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.