Most teams do not have a prioritization problem. They have a commitment problem. They name ten priorities, then act surprised when nothing finishes. A priority is only real when it displaces something else. If nothing gets pushed down, your priorities are just a list of hopes.This shows up as constant reshuffling. People start tasks, pause them, switch to something else, then return weeks later to rebuild context. Work takes longer, quality drops, and trust erodes. The fix is simple and uncomfortable. Pick fewer priorities. Make them visible. Assign a single owner per priority. Define what done means. Then protect the sequence.If this feels like your week, read Why Everything Feels Urgent but Nothing Moves. If you need the deeper cause, read Execution Debt: The Thing No One Tracks. For the system layer, read What a Brand Operating System Is.
