Worksheet for Prioritizing Goals

INSTRUCTIONS

Use this worksheet to narrow a list of your goals to the ones that bring the greatest value to you and your
organization. In the table on the following page:

1. List your current work-related goals in the first column. To effectively guide your actions, goals
should be SMART—specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-limited. Include both
short- and long-term goals.

2. Reflect on how you will distinguish high-priority goals from lower-priority ones. For example, which
goals have the greatest importance to your team’s performance and future success? Review your
list of goals and rank each as A-, B-, or C-level priority in the second column.
 Priority A: Goals that have high value and primary importance.
 Priority B: Goals that have medium value and secondary importance.
 Priority C: Goals that have some value but not much importance right now.

3. Look at your B-level goals again. Reassign them as A- or C-priority in the third column—they are
either worth your time or not. The goals that are now on your Priority A list are your top-priority goals.

4. Finally, assign a ranking to your A-level priority goals according to importance in the fourth column
(e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.). Remember to avoid letting short-term goals automatically take precedence over
long-term ones.

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© 2018 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.
GOAL PRIORITIES AS OF:

2. 3. 4.
I NI TI AL A, RE ASS I G N B RANK YO UR
1. WO RK G O ALS
B, C P RI O RI TI ES A P RI O RI TI ES
P RI O RI TY TO A O R C (1, 2 , 3 , …)

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© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.