Managers should set their priorities to work on which types of tasks first?

• A. Urgent tasks only
• B. Both urgent and important
• C. Non-urgent tasks
• D. Important tasks only

Answer: (B)

Prioritizing tasks this way helps managers act on what truly matters now and what will have the biggest impact. Tasks that are both urgent and important demand immediate attention because delaying them can cause crises or derail critical goals, so they’re tackled first. If you focus only on urgent tasks, you might overlook work that moves long-term objectives forward. If you focus only on important tasks, you risk missing deadlines and causing operational problems. Non-urgent tasks tend to be lower priority and can be scheduled or delegated later. So starting with what is both urgent and important keeps operations smooth while advancing key outcomes.