I don’t equate prioritization with exclusivity.

Just because one project is the most important, doesn’t mean others should stop until it’s done.

Work can stagger and overlap. You don’t have to pause other tasks entirely. Especially in a team environment. You have to account for delays caused by dependencies. You have to accept that you’re going to spend a lot of time waiting for others to respond to you.

So during your overlap period, you tackle the secondary work. Keep making progress on smaller items while waiting for external input.

Don’t worry, it’s not multitasking, it’s simply leveraging idle time. Simultaneous progress is not a sign of lack of focus. It means you’re efficient and strategic.

Reminds me of our local food coop, where we’ve been members for many years. I have worked volunteer shifts of all kinds, including produce stocking, bulk refilling, street sweeping, phone answering, cardboard baling, cheese wrapping, meat shelving, inventory management, and more.

But as different as each department is, there’s one commonality.

Downtime. It’s bound to happen.

Thankfully, throughout the store you see posters on the wall that read, what to do when there’s nothing to do. Then it’s just a bunch of questions for workers to ask themselves when they feel bored.

Are all the shelves fully stocked?
Is the produce case overflowing?
Are all dried fruits, nuts and spices bagged and stocked?
Is the cheese case full?
The yogurt case? Dairy? Chicken? Frozen food?

For every case of food leaving the building, another case should be coming up from the basement!

Are all the floors swept? Is the receiving area clean? Is the sidewalk outside swept? The staircase and entrance area? Is the bathroom clean? We hope that this list gives members some idea of what to do when there’s nothing to do.

Everyone needs their version of this poster. Not only grocery store staff, but workers of all kinds. Because it frames downtime as an opportunity. It challenges people to identify areas of improvement without waiting for explicit instructions.