How to Prioritize Tasks from Multiple Jobs Using Commitment Circles: Step-by-Step Guide

Juggling tasks from multiple jobs at once can feel like trying to solve a puzzle with pieces from different boxes. The sense of overwhelm creeps in when there’s no clarity about what deserves your attention first, especially when each project has its own deadlines, urgencies, and expectations. This is where commitment circles—a concept developed by Stephen Covey in his book *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People*—become a powerful tool. This technique helps you classify your tasks based on their real importance, not just their urgency, and focus on what truly contributes to your long-term goals.

What Are Commitment Circles and Why Do They Work for Multiple Jobs?

Commitment circles are a visual metaphor that divides your responsibilities into two main areas: the circle of concern and the circle of influence. The circle of concern includes everything that affects you but is beyond your direct control (e.g., the global economy, a distant client’s decisions, or the weather). The circle of influence, on the other hand, encompasses everything you *can* modify through your actions (your daily tasks, how you organize your time, or how you communicate progress).

When you apply this technique to multiple jobs, the goal is simple: reduce the time you spend in the circle of concern (where stress and anxiety grow) and expand your circle of influence (where productivity and control increase). This doesn’t mean ignoring external factors; it means recognizing that your energy is limited and must be invested in what you can actually change.

How to Prioritize Tasks from Multiple Jobs Using Commitment Circles: Step-by-Step

• 1. **Create a master list of all your tasks**: Write down every pending task, regardless of which job or project it belongs to. Include deadlines, responsible parties, and any relevant details. For example: "Prepare report for Client A (due Friday)", "Review contract with Supplier B (no deadline)", or "Organize internal team meeting (urgent)".
• 2. **Classify each task into the circles**: For each task, ask yourself: Does this depend 100% on me, or are there external factors I can’t control? If it’s the former, it goes into the circle of influence; if it’s the latter, it goes into the circle of concern. For example, "Send proposal to Client C" is in your circle of influence, but "Client C approving the proposal" is not, because it depends on their decision.
• 3. **Prioritize within the circle of influence**: Now, sort the tasks in this circle based on their impact on your goals. Covey suggests using the Eisenhower Matrix (urgent vs. important), but you can simplify it: focus first on what’s both important *and* urgent, then on what’s important but not urgent, and so on. For example, if you have two important tasks but one is due today and the other in a month, the first takes priority.
• 4. **Accept the limits of the circle of concern**: For tasks that fall here, identify what part *you* can control. For example, if a task is "Have the design team deliver materials on time," your action in the circle of influence might be "Send a reminder to the team 48 hours in advance." This reduces uncertainty without obsessing over what’s beyond your control.
• 5. **Review and adjust weekly**: The circles aren’t static. A task that’s in your circle of concern today (e.g., "Wait for budget approval") might move to the circle of influence tomorrow (e.g., "Proceed with project execution"). Spend 15 minutes each week relocating your tasks based on how things evolve.

Practical Example: Applying Commitment Circles to Three Different Jobs

Imagine you’re managing three simultaneous projects: freelance work for a client, a personal project (writing a book), and household tasks. Here’s how you might classify some typical tasks:

• **Freelance work**:
• - Circle of influence: "Draft the report (due Thursday)", "Send invoice to client".
• - Circle of concern: "Client paying on time", "Client approving the report without changes".
• **Personal project (book)**:
• - Circle of influence: "Write 500 words daily", "Research sources for Chapter 3".
• - Circle of concern: "Publisher accepting my manuscript", "Book receiving good reviews".
• **Household tasks**:
• - Circle of influence: "Do weekly grocery shopping", "Call plumber to fix leak".
• - Circle of concern: "Plumber arriving on time", "Food prices not increasing".

In this example, your energy should focus on the tasks in the circle of influence, like drafting the report, writing 500 words, or calling the plumber. For tasks in the circle of concern, you can take indirect actions (e.g., sending a polite email to the client reminding them of payment or researching alternative plumbers in case the first one fails), but without spending excessive time on them.

Common Mistakes When Using Commitment Circles (and How to Avoid Them)

• **Confusing urgency with importance**: Many urgent tasks (like replying to a last-minute email) aren’t important, and vice versa. Commitment circles help you see the difference, but only if you take the time to analyze each task without autopilot.
• **Ignoring the circle of concern entirely**: While you shouldn’t obsess over it, you can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Acknowledge the tasks there and define what part *you* can control (e.g., preparing a Plan B if a client delays payment).
• **Not updating the circles**: If you don’t review your list weekly, tasks can get stuck in the wrong circle. For example, a task like "Wait for client feedback" can move from concern to influence once you receive their response.
• **Overloading the circle of influence**: If you put too many tasks here, you’ll end up just as overwhelmed. Be realistic: you can’t control everything, even in your own projects. Focus on what truly depends on you and delegate or postpone the rest.

Tools to Apply Commitment Circles in Your Daily Routine

While commitment circles are a conceptual technique, you can use tools to visualize and manage them more effectively. For example:

• - **Physical templates**: Draw two concentric circles on a sheet of paper or whiteboard. In the inner circle (influence), write the tasks you control; in the outer circle (concern), write those you don’t. Use colors to differentiate jobs or projects.
• - **Note-taking apps**: Create two sections in an app like Notion or Evernote: one for the circle of influence and another for the circle of concern. Add tags for each job (e.g., #freelance, #book, #home) and sort tasks by priority.
• - **Task management tools**: Some apps allow you to assign categories or tags that can adapt to the circles. For example, you could use a tag like "Influence" for tasks you control and another like "Concern" for those you don’t, then filter your view based on what you need at any given moment.

If you manage multiple jobs at once, a tool like Foco can help you apply this technique in a practical way. In Foco, each job (client, project, or personal area) has its own container with a distinctive color, allowing you to see all your tasks in one place without losing sight of which project they belong to. You can use tags to label tasks according to their circle (e.g., tags like "Influence" or "Concern") and filter your view to focus only on what depends on you. Additionally, the Kanban view lets you drag and drop tasks between customizable columns, such as "To Do (Influence)", "On Hold (Concern)", or "Done", making it easier to visualize and prioritize based on commitment circles. This way, even though the technique is conceptual, the app provides an organized space to put it into practice without losing focus.