Signal What Matters Most
Not all tasks are equally important. Some need immediate attention, others can wait. Priority levels communicate urgency at a glance, helping you and your team focus on what matters most when time is limited.
Available Priority Levels
Officaid offers five priority options:
- Not Set no priority assigned (default)
- Low can be done when time permits
- Medium should be completed within the normal timeframe
- High needs attention before lower priority items
- Urgent requires immediate action
Understanding Each Priority
Not Set is the default when you create a task without selecting a priority. Use this for tasks where relative importance hasn't been determined or doesn't matter.
Low priority tasks are important enough to track but aren't time-sensitive. These can be picked up when higher priority work is complete or when there's downtime. Examples: organizing files, researching future improvements, updating documentation.
Medium priority represents standard work that should be completed within its due date. This is the baseline for regular business operations.
High priority indicates tasks that should be done before medium and low priority work. These tasks have more significant consequences if delayed. Examples: responding to important client requests, preparing for upcoming meetings, addressing escalating issues.
Urgent priority is reserved for tasks requiring immediate attention. These should be acted on as soon as possible, potentially pausing other work. Examples: critical system issues, time-sensitive deadlines, emergency client needs.
How Priorities Display
In the task list, priorities appear as colored badges:
- Low appears in teal/green
- Medium appears in yellow/amber
- High appears in orange
- Urgent appears in red
These visual cues make it easy to scan the task list and identify which items need attention first.
Setting Priorities Effectively
Good priority management requires discipline:
- Don't default to Urgent. If everything is urgent, nothing is. Reserve this for genuine emergencies.
- Consider due dates alongside priority. A Low priority task due tomorrow may need attention before a Medium priority task due next month.
- Re-evaluate regularly. Priorities change as circumstances evolve. What was Low last week might be High today.
- Communicate context. Priority alone doesn't explain why something is important. Use the description or comments to provide reasoning.
Priority vs Due Date
Priority and due date work together but serve different purposes:
- Priority indicates relative importance compared to other tasks
- Due date specifies when the task should be completed
A High priority task with a due date far in the future doesn't need immediate action. An Urgent task due today needs to jump to the top of the list. Consider both factors when deciding what to work on next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tasks without a priority display as "Not Set." They won't be highlighted with any urgency color. This is fine for routine tasks where relative importance doesn't matter.
Consistency helps. If your team uses Urgent freely, it loses meaning. Agree on what each priority level means for your context so everyone interprets them the same way.
Yes. Edit the task and select a new priority level. The change is recorded in the Task Activity log.
What's Next?
Complete your understanding of task management:
- Task Statuses Explained - Track where tasks are in their lifecycle
- Adding a Task - Apply priorities when creating tasks
- Managing Dashboard Alerts - Handle overdue task notifications