Are you having trouble prioritizing tasks and projects at work?
You must be able to set boundaries and organize your priorities at work.
It is also vital that you are clear about these with colleagues.
Learn how to do this in today’s episode!
Big plans at All Ears English
Michelle asks Lindsay if there are any All Ears English projects on the back burner.
Lindsay answers that there are many plans to make All Ears English bigger and better.
They are a very ambitious team.
However, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done.
Michelle says it’s ideal to have things on the back burner instead of having no ideas.
She encourages all listeners to check our episode BE 275: Is this Meaty Topic Offensive?
The Business English Podcast has episodes to help you share ideas in the business world.
In today’s episode, Lindsay and Michelle will discuss a great way to share current priorities.
The back burner
In English, we often talk about something being “on the back burner.”
Lindsay shares that this expression refers to the burners that heat up on a stove.
Most of the time stoves have front burners and back burners.
When you’re cooking something that may take awhile or the food is still simmering, often it is placed on the back burner.
We use this expression idiomatically to talk about priorities.
Things on the back burner don’t require as much attention.
Anything on the back burner isn’t the focus due to more urgent priorities.
What gets put on the back burner?
It’s really important to know when something can or should be put on the back burner.
Michelle asks Lindsay how she decides what to prioritize.
How does she know what is the most important thing?
Lindsay shares that it’s best to have everything organized in a task management system.
You need to step back and make sure the staples and the heart of the business keeps beating.
Prioritizing tasks
You have to think about which tasks are the most important.
These tasks, if procrastinated, will move you away from your main goal.
For the All Ears English team, recording podcasts never gets placed on the back burner.
Here are some examples:
- The employee handbook rewrite is on the back burner right now because we have bigger fish to fry.
- I’m so sorry. I’ve had that assignment on the back burner for a couple of weeks, but I’m going to get to it tomorrow. I promise!
Related vocabulary
There are many other expressions you can use to talk about the status of a priority.
You don’t want to keep using ‘on the back burner’ all the time.
Following are some phrases you can use to talk about priorities.
#1: Hold off
This is a phrasal verb that means you’re putting something on pause.
You can resume it in the future when needed.
It means you are consciously deciding to deprioritize something for now.
Example:
We are going to hold off on the company dinner until we hear about the budget.
#2: Not the priority
This is a straightforward way to say that a task or project is not your current priority.
Example:
Unfortunately, the slides aren’t the priority right now because we really have to focus on inputting the text and numbers.
#3: On hold
Similar to the phrasal verb ‘hold off’, this term means to put something on pause for now to be revisited later.
This can also mean you’re prioritizing something else more urgent.
Example:
The project has been put on hold for a while due to the recent layoffs at the company.
Roleplay
Here is a quick roleplay using the tips and vocabulary shared in today’s episode.
In this scenario, Lindsay is Michelle’s supervisor.
Michelle: Would it be ok if I got that done by August 15th?
Lindsay: Umm…you know what? You can hold off even more because we don’t even have a confirmation date for this project.
Michelle: Oh ok. So… should I consider it on hold?
Lindsay: Yeah just wait until I reach out to you about it again. It’s on the back burner as of now. But don’t worry, you’ll still be heading this project once we get it started again. It’s just not the priority right now because I am waiting on Jean’s answers and she is out for the month.
Takeaway
Today’s episode has so many helpful tips and expressions to talk about priorities in the workplace.
These are useful to make boundaries and priorities for tasks and projects clear.
This will help you stay focused and efficient.
Use today’s phrases to make your focus clear at work.
Which of today’s tips did you find most helpful?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
