Decide What You Can Ignore
Added 2026-10-30
Rank every pending item by what happens if you skip it, and find what can genuinely go.
I have too much on my plate and need to decide what to drop. I will give the list (deadlines, stakeholders, how much I care). Do: 1) for each, answer what the worst outcome is if skipped and how soon it hits; 2) sort into must do, can delay, can drop; 3) flag tasks with no clear definition of done; 4) write one line to say externally for dropped items; 5) tell me which drop will upset someone.
Site original
Chinese original
How to use
优先级不是「哪个重要」，是「哪个不做也没事」。
Try tweaking it
- Ask what evidence would overturn the judgement.
- Have it argue both sides with three reasons each.
What you should get
- A decision table: assumptions, evidence, counter-evidence
- A next action with an observable signal
Common mistakes
- Asking only "should I?" and getting equally valid answers both ways.
- Never asking for counter-examples, so you only hear support.
How to check the output
- It states what evidence would overturn the conclusion.
- Both sides are argued, with assumptions marked as such.
Where it works
- Good for: splitting a decision into assumptions, evidence and counter-cases, leaving the call to you.
- Watch out: ask what evidence would overturn the judgement, or you will only hear supporting reasons.