--- name: prioritize description: Classify PM tasks using LNO Framework (Leverage/Neutral/Overhead) to focus on high-impact work. disable-model-invocation: false user-invocable: true --- # Task Prioritization: LNO Framework **When to use:** When overwhelmed with tasks, during weekly planning, or when feeling busy but not productive **Framework source:** Shreyas Doshi's LNO Framework (popularized by Aakash Gupta) ## Quick Start 1. Paste your task list (calendar, to-do list, or just describe your week) 2. I will classify each task as **L** (Leverage/10x), **N** (Neutral/1x), or **O** (Overhead/<1x) 3. I will calculate your L/N/O time distribution and compare to the healthy target (40/35/20) 4. I will suggest specific tasks to eliminate, delegate, or timebox 5. Output: a prioritized weekly plan with calendar blocking recommendations **Healthy target:** 40-50% Leverage, 30-40% Neutral, 10-20% Overhead. If Leverage is below 30%, something is wrong. --- ## The LNO Framework Classify every task into one of three categories: ### L = Leverage Tasks (10x your impact) **Definition:** Activities that disproportionately increase your impact **Characteristics:** - High effort, HIGH impact - Compound over time - Often urgent AND important - Create lasting value **Examples:** - Writing a PRD that aligns 5 teams - Building a dashboard that automates reporting - Creating a decision framework teams can reuse - Designing an onboarding flow that improves activation - Strategic 1:1s with key stakeholders - User research that uncovers major insights **Impact:** 10x --- ### N = Neutral Tasks (Regular impact) **Definition:** Necessary work with linear impact **Characteristics:** - Regular effort, regular impact - Doesn't compound - Often important but not urgent - Maintenance work **Examples:** - Routine status updates - Standard sprint planning - Responding to most emails - Attending most meetings - Bug triage (non-critical) - Backlog grooming - Documentation (routine) **Impact:** 1x **The key insight:** Aim for C+/B- on Neutral tasks - Don't overinvest - Good enough is fine - Preserve energy for Leverage tasks --- ### O = Overhead Tasks (Minimal impact) **Definition:** Activities with very little impact relative to time spent **Characteristics:** - High effort, LOW impact - Feels urgent but isn't important - Often reactive - Creates no lasting value **Examples:** - Most Slack threads (especially drama/politics) - Meetings you're CC'd on "just in case" - Over-polishing decks for internal reviews - Formatting documents obsessively - Responding to every FYI email - Bikeshedding in design reviews - Arguing over naming conventions - Attending meetings where you have no input **Impact:** Near zero **Goal:** Minimize, delegate, automate, or eliminate --- ## How to Use This Framework ### Step 1: Audit Your Current Week List everything you did last week: ``` Use /prioritize Here's everything I did last week: [paste your calendar/task list] Help me classify each task as L, N, or O. Then calculate: - % time spent on Leverage tasks - % time spent on Neutral tasks - % time spent on Overhead tasks ``` **Healthy distribution for senior PMs:** - Leverage: 40-50% - Neutral: 30-40% - Overhead: 10-20% **If you're below 30% Leverage, something's wrong.** --- ### Step 2: Classify Tasks Before Doing Them Before you work on something, ask: **Is this Leverage?** - Will this create disproportionate impact? - Will this compound over time? - If yes → Do it yourself, invest deeply **Is this Neutral?** - Is this necessary but not game-changing? - Can I do "good enough" instead of perfect? - If yes → Timebox it, aim for B- quality **Is this Overhead?** - Could I not do this and nothing bad happens? - Am I doing this out of obligation, not impact? - If yes → Delegate, automate, or skip --- ### Step 3: Protect Your Leverage Time **Block calendar time for Leverage work:** - Monday morning: 3-hour strategy block - Wednesday afternoon: 2-hour deep work - Friday morning: 2-hour planning/thinking time **Treat it like a meeting:** - Decline conflicting invitations - Turn off Slack - Close email --- ## Specific Tactics by Category ### Tactics for Leverage Tasks: **1. Do them FIRST** - Morning energy > afternoon energy - Don't wait until "everything else is done" **2. Invest disproportionately** - Spend 8 hours on a 10x task - Don't spend 1 hour on 8 different 1x tasks **3. Seek multipliers** - Build frameworks others can reuse - Create templates that scale - Automate repetitive decisions **4. Example weekly planning:** ``` Monday AM: Write high-impact PRD (Leverage) Monday PM: Routine meetings (Neutral) Tuesday AM: User research synthesis (Leverage) Tuesday PM: Sprint planning (Neutral) Wednesday AM: Strategic 1:1s with stakeholders (Leverage) Wednesday PM: Bug triage (Neutral) Thursday AM: Build metrics dashboard (Leverage) Thursday PM: Status updates (Neutral) Friday AM: Reflect & plan next week (Leverage) Friday PM: Clear Slack backlog (Overhead - timeboxed) ``` --- ### Tactics for Neutral Tasks: **1. Timebox ruthlessly** - Sprint planning: 60 minutes MAX - Status updates: 30 minutes - Email: 2x/day for 20 minutes each **2. Use templates** - Status update template - Meeting notes template - Decision log template - Don't reinvent each time **3. Batch similar tasks** - All status updates on Friday - All 1:1s on Tuesday/Thursday - All email at 9am and 3pm **4. Aim for B- quality** - Status update doesn't need perfect prose - Meeting notes don't need perfect formatting - Backlog grooming doesn't need perfect prioritization **The mantra:** "Good enough is great for Neutral tasks" --- ### Tactics for Overhead Tasks: **1. Eliminate** - Decline meetings where you're optional - Unsubscribe from FYI email threads - Leave Slack channels you don't contribute to **2. Delegate** - Can an APM or intern handle this? - Can engineering lead own this decision? - Can designer lead the review? **3. Automate** - Set up Slack status: "Focus time 9-12, async responses only" - Create email filters and auto-responses - Build dashboards instead of manual reports **4. Say no** - "I don't think I can add value to this meeting" - "Can you send me the notes instead?" - "Let's async this in a doc rather than meet" **Example overhead elimination:** - 10 meetings/week → 6 meetings (saved 4 hours) - 2 hours Slack → 30 min (saved 1.5 hours) - 1 hour manual reporting → automated (saved 1 hour) - **Total reclaimed: 6.5 hours/week for Leverage work** --- ## Weekly Planning Template Use this every Sunday or Friday: ### 1. Leverage Tasks This Week (Aim for 3-5) - [ ] Task 1: ___________ (Time: ____ hours) - [ ] Task 2: ___________ (Time: ____ hours) - [ ] Task 3: ___________ (Time: ____ hours) **Total Leverage hours: _____ / 40 hours (Target: 40%+)** ### 2. Neutral Tasks (Necessary) - [ ] Task 1: ___________ (Timeboxed: ____ min) - [ ] Task 2: ___________ (Timeboxed: ____ min) - [ ] Task 3: ___________ (Timeboxed: ____ min) ### 3. Overhead to Eliminate/Delegate - ~~Task 1~~ → Declined/delegated to _____ - ~~Task 2~~ → Automated with _____ - ~~Task 3~~ → Skipping (no impact) ### 4. Calendar Blocks - [ ] Monday 9-12: Leverage block (no meetings) - [ ] Wednesday 2-4: Leverage block (no meetings) - [ ] Friday 9-11: Reflect & plan --- ## Real-World Examples ### Example 1: Writing a PRD **Leverage approach:** - Spend 8 hours writing a comprehensive PRD - Get input from engineering, design, data - Create clear alignment across 5 teams - Result: Smooth execution, no mid-sprint confusion - **ROI: 10x** (saves 80 hours of misalignment downstream) **Neutral approach:** - Spend 2 hours on quick spec - Just enough to start building - Some gaps, but good enough - Result: Team can start, questions arise later - **ROI: 1x** (regular productivity) **Overhead approach:** - Spend 8 hours making the PRD perfect - Obsess over formatting and edge cases - No one reads the 20-page doc anyway - Result: Time wasted, no added value - **ROI: <1x** (negative productivity) --- ### Example 2: Stakeholder Update **Leverage approach:** - Create reusable dashboard that auto-updates weekly - Spend 4 hours building it once - Result: Never manually report again, stakeholders self-serve - **ROI: 10x** (saves 1 hour/week = 52 hours/year) **Neutral approach:** - Send weekly email with 3 bullet points - Takes 30 minutes - Result: Stakeholders informed, expectations met - **ROI: 1x** (necessary, but not multiplier) **Overhead approach:** - Create 10-slide deck every week - Spend 2 hours formatting and polishing - Result: No one asks for this level of detail - **ROI: <1x** (wasted effort) --- ## Common Mistakes ### Mistake #1: Treating All Tasks Equally **Problem:** Spending 1 hour on 10 tasks instead of 10 hours on 1 Leverage task **Fix:** Prioritize ruthlessly. Say no to good things to say yes to great things. --- ### Mistake #2: Perfectionism on Neutral Tasks **Problem:** Spending 3 hours on a status update that deserves 20 minutes **Fix:** Set a timer. Aim for B-. Ship it. --- ### Mistake #3: Not Blocking Leverage Time **Problem:** Meetings fill your calendar, no time for deep work **Fix:** Block 2-3 mornings per week. Treat them as non-negotiable. --- ### Mistake #4: Confusing Urgent with Important **Problem:** Overhead tasks FEEL urgent (Slack pings, meeting invites) **Fix:** Distinguish: - Urgent + Important = Leverage or Neutral - Urgent + Unimportant = Overhead (ignore or delegate) - Not Urgent + Important = Leverage (block time) - Not Urgent + Unimportant = Overhead (eliminate) --- ## LNO Self-Audit Questions Ask yourself weekly: **Leverage:** - [ ] Did I spend 40%+ of my time on Leverage tasks? - [ ] Did I create something that multiplies my impact? - [ ] Will this work compound over time? **Neutral:** - [ ] Did I timebox Neutral tasks effectively? - [ ] Did I aim for "good enough" instead of perfect? - [ ] Could I have batched these more efficiently? **Overhead:** - [ ] What did I do this week that had near-zero impact? - [ ] What meetings could I have skipped? - [ ] What tasks can I eliminate next week? --- ## Advanced: LNO for Career Growth **Apply LNO to career decisions:** ### Leverage career moves: - Taking on a high-visibility project - Building relationships with executives - Developing a unique expertise (AI PM, growth, platform) - Writing/speaking publicly ### Neutral career moves: - Meeting performance expectations - Completing assigned projects - Networking within your org ### Overhead career moves: - Office politics that go nowhere - Working on projects no one cares about - Staying in a role too long (no growth) **Focus on Leverage career moves to accelerate growth.** --- ## Related Skills - `/strategy-sprint` - Leverage strategy work - `/prd-draft` - Leverage through great PRDs - `/activation-analysis` - Leverage through product improvements - `/user-research-synthesis` - Leverage through insights --- ## Delegation Awareness **For VP/Director-level PMs managing a team,** add a "Delegation Recommendation" column to the task classification. | Task | LNO | Est. Hours | Delegation Recommendation | |------|-----|-----------|--------------------------| | Write activation PRD | L | 8 | Do yourself -- high strategic value | | Sprint planning | N | 1 | Delegate to tech lead or senior engineer | | Status update deck | N | 1.5 | Delegate to APM or program manager | | Bug triage review | O | 1 | Delegate to engineering lead | | Formatting PRD template | O | 0.5 | Delegate to APM or skip entirely | **Rules:** - **Leverage tasks:** Generally do these yourself. They are your highest-value contribution. - **Neutral tasks:** For each, ask: "Could someone on my team do this at B- quality?" If yes, delegate. Reference names from stakeholder profiles in `thoughts/shared/pm/context/stakeholder-template.md`. - **Overhead tasks:** Always delegate, automate, or eliminate. If you cannot delegate, timebox aggressively (set a hard stop). --- ## Team Capacity Check After classifying tasks, check total estimated hours against available time: 1. **Calculate available deep work hours:** Total work hours minus meetings = deep work hours available. 2. **Sum Leverage task hours:** Add up all Leverage task estimates. 3. **Compare:** - If Leverage hours fit within deep work time: You are in good shape. Proceed. - If Leverage hours exceed deep work time: **Flag this.** You have more Leverage tasks than time. Consider: 1. Moving the lowest-impact Leverage item to next week 2. Delegating a subtask within a Leverage item (e.g., delegate data gathering, keep the synthesis) 3. Reducing scope on the lowest-impact Leverage item (aim for 80% instead of 100%) - If Leverage hours are less than 30% of available time: You are under-investing. Look at Neutral tasks that could be elevated to Leverage with more investment (e.g., turning a routine status update into a reusable dashboard). --- **Framework credit:** Shreyas Doshi's LNO Framework. Read Aakash Gupta's article: https://www.news.aakashg.com/p/lno-framework-for-product-managers --- ## Context Routing Strategy When the PM uses `/prioritize`, I automatically: ### 1. Analyze Your Task List Against Strategy **Source:** `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/`, OKRs, quarterly goals - **What I look for:** Strategic priorities vs. your task list - **How I use it:** Classify tasks against declared strategy - **Example:** "Strategy says focus on retention, but you're 60% on new feature work → recalibrate" ### 2. Extract LNO Patterns from Your Work **Source:** Calendar, recent decisions, PRDs worked on - **What I look for:** What types of work you gravitate toward - **How I use it:** Show bias (e.g., "You're 70% on overhead, underweighting leverage") - **Example:** "You created 3 PRDs this week (leverage), but spent 2hrs fixing formatting (overhead)" ### 3. Benchmark Against Healthy Distribution **Source:** LNO framework standards, your past healthy weeks - **What I look for:** Historical high-performing weeks for you - **How I use it:** Suggest realistic targets based on your pattern - **Example:** "Your best weeks are 45% leverage, 35% neutral, 20% overhead" ### 4. Identify Overhead Elimination Opportunities **Source:** Stakeholder calendar, team habits - **What I look for:** Recurring meetings, tasks that are truly non-essential - **How I use it:** Suggest specific elimination tactics with owners - **Example:** "Weekly status meeting could go async (save 2 hrs). Suggest to manager." ### 5. Flag Leverage Opportunities **Source:** Current work, strategic goals - **What I look for:** What if you invested deeper in leverage work? - **How I use it:** Quantify ROI of shifting time - **Example:** "If you spent 10 hrs on metrics dashboard, saves 1 hr/week = 52 hrs/year" ### 6. Route for Action **Routing logic:** - **Define leverage work:** Link to `/prd-draft`, `/write-prod-strategy` - **Create blockers list:** Use `/catalyst-pm-ops:slack-message` to request overhead elimination - **Track time:** Suggest time-blocking strategies to protect leverage time - **Weekly audit:** Use this weekly to course-correct --- ## Output Quality Self-Check Before delivering the prioritization output, verify: - [ ] **Every task classified:** No task is left without an L, N, or O label. If classification is ambiguous, explain why. - [ ] **Time estimates included:** Each task has an estimated time in hours or minutes. - [ ] **Distribution calculated:** L/N/O percentages are shown and compared to the 40/35/20 target. - [ ] **Capacity check done:** Total Leverage hours are compared against available deep work time. If over capacity, specific recommendations are provided. - [ ] **Actionable recommendations:** At least 2-3 specific overhead tasks are flagged for elimination or delegation, with a suggested alternative (who to delegate to, or why it can be skipped). - [ ] **Calendar blocking suggested:** Specific time blocks are recommended for Leverage work (e.g., "Block Monday 9-12 for PRD writing"). - [ ] **Strategy alignment checked:** Leverage tasks are validated against current strategic priorities from `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/`. If a Leverage task does not connect to strategy, flag it.