THE SCIENCE OF PRIORITIZATION

How Task Rankings Are Calculated

Discover the intelligent 14-factor algorithm that powers 10 to Win's priority system. Learn how we combine time science, behavioral psychology, and team dynamics to surface your most important tasks.

The Algorithm at a Glance

Your tasks are scored using a weighted system of 14 factors, organized into two tiers

5 Core Factors = 68%
9 Pro Factors = 32%
68%
5 Core Factors
Up to 3,000 points
32%
9 Advanced Factors
Up to 1,410 points
💡
Why This Split?

The 68/32 split reflects real-world decision making. Core factors (deadlines, urgency) handle most decisions, while advanced factors fine-tune for power users who need nuanced prioritization based on team impact, energy levels, and behavioral patterns.

How Priority Scores Are Calculated

Every task flows through our scoring engine to receive a numeric priority ranking

flowchart TD A[New Task Created] --> B{Basic Scoring} B --> C[Urgency Type
+100 to +1000] B --> D[Deadline Proximity
+200 to +1200] B --> E[Importance
+50 to +500] B --> F[Future Impact
-300 to +300] B --> G[Snooze Penalty
-50 per snooze] C --> H[Base Score
Sum of 5 Factors] D --> H E --> H F --> H G --> H H --> I{Pro Mode
Enabled?} I -->|No| J[Final Score
= Base Score] I -->|Yes| K{Advanced Scoring} K --> L[Team Impact
Blocks Others, Stakeholders] K --> M[Personal Fit
Energy, Complexity] K --> N[Behavioral
Age, Progress, Avoidance] K --> O[Consequences
Career, Financial, Relationship] L --> P[Enhanced Score
Base + Advanced] M --> P N --> P O --> P P --> Q[Final Priority
Ranking] J --> Q style A fill:#6366f1,stroke:#4f46e5,color:#fff style H fill:#8b5cf6,stroke:#7c3aed,color:#fff style Q fill:#f97316,stroke:#ea580c,color:#fff style I fill:#fbbf24,stroke:#f59e0b,color:#1f2937

The 14 Factors Ranked

Ordered by maximum point impact on your priority score

Rank Factor Max Points Category How It Works
#1 Deadline Proximity +1,200 Core Overdue tasks get maximum boost. Scales down: 2hrs (+900), 6hrs (+600), 24hrs (+400), 72hrs (+200)
#2 Urgency Type +1,000 Core Emergency (+1000), Urgent (+700), Moderate (+400), Low (+100)
#3 Importance +500 Core User rates 1-10, multiplied by 50 points
#4 Blocks Others +300+ Advanced +300 base if blocking someone, +50 per additional person blocked
#5 Delay Consequence +300 Advanced Career impact (+300), Relationship (+200), Financial (+150), Inconvenience (+50)
#6 Stakeholder Waiting +300 Advanced Client waiting (+300), Manager (+200), Colleague (+100)
#7 Future Impact (Divest-Invest) +/-300 Core Scale -10 to +10, multiplied by 30. Positive = investing in future, Negative = divesting
#8 Partial Progress +300 Advanced Progress percentage x 3 points. Rewards momentum on started tasks
#9 Waiting On -200 Advanced External dependency (-200), Internal (-100). Deprioritizes blocked tasks
#10 Task Age +150 Advanced Over 7 days (+150), 3-7 days (+75), 1-3 days (+30)
#11 Cognitive Complexity -60 Advanced Simple (0), Moderate (-30), Complex (-60). Matches to available mental energy
#12 Energy Level Required +60 Advanced High energy (+60), Medium (+40), Low (+20). Prioritizes engaging work
#13 Snooze Penalty -50/snooze Core -50 points per snooze. Prevents indefinite procrastination
#14 Avoidance Score -25/action Advanced -25 per skip or view without action. Surfaces avoided tasks

The 5 Core Factors (68%)

These foundational factors drive most prioritization decisions

1

Deadline Proximity

+1,200 max
The closer a deadline, the higher the urgency. Overdue tasks receive maximum priority boost. This mirrors the psychological "deadline effect" where humans naturally focus as time runs out.
2

Urgency Type

+1,000 max
User-defined urgency level. Emergency tasks (health, safety, critical business) jump to the top immediately. Based on Eisenhower's Urgent-Important matrix.
3

Importance

+500 max
A 1-10 rating of how significant this task is to your goals. Separates truly important work from busywork. Rooted in the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule).
4

Future Impact

+/-300
The Divest-Invest scale. Positive values (+1 to +10) indicate tasks that build toward your future. Negative values represent tasks you're winding down. Inspired by strategic portfolio management.
5

Snooze Penalty

-50/snooze
Each time you snooze a task, it drops in priority. This prevents the "snooze trap" where important tasks keep getting pushed to tomorrow. Forces honest prioritization.

The 9 Advanced Factors (32%)

Pro-tier factors that add nuanced, context-aware prioritization

4

Blocks Others

+300+ pts
If your task is blocking teammates, it gets priority. Each additional person blocked adds +50 points. Reduces team bottlenecks.
5

Delay Consequence

+300 max
What happens if you delay? Career-impacting tasks get +300, relationship-damaging +200, financial +150. Makes consequences visible.
6

Stakeholder Waiting

+300 max
Who's waiting on this? Clients (+300) outrank managers (+200) who outrank colleagues (+100). Manages expectations.
8

Partial Progress

+300 max
Tasks you've started get a boost based on completion percentage. Rewards momentum and reduces context-switching costs.
9

Waiting On

-200 max
Blocked by someone else? External dependencies (-200) and internal (-100) push tasks down so you focus on actionable items.
10

Task Age

+150 max
Old tasks gradually rise in priority. Prevents the "someday" pile from growing forever. Based on Getting Things Done principles.
11

Cognitive Complexity

-60 max
Complex tasks get slightly deprioritized unless you're in deep work mode. Matches tasks to your available mental bandwidth.
12

Energy Level

+60 max
High-energy tasks get a small boost to encourage tackling challenging work. Supports "eat the frog" productivity philosophy.
14

Avoidance Score

-25/action
Tracks how often you view but don't act on a task. Surfaces procrastinated items so you can address the root cause.

Example Score Calculation

See how a real task gets scored through the algorithm

📝 Sample Task: "Finalize Q4 Report for CEO"

Core Factors (Base Score)

Urgency Type: Urgent +700
Deadline: Due in 4 hours +600
Importance: 9/10 +450
Future Impact: +5 (career building) +150
Snoozed: 1 time -50
Base Score 1,850 points

Advanced Factors (Pro Enhancement)

Stakeholder Waiting: CEO (Client-level) +300
Delay Consequence: Career +300
Progress: 60% complete +180
Task Age: 5 days old +75
Energy Required: High +60
Complexity: Moderate -30
Final Score 2,735 points
🏆
Result: Top Priority

With 2,735 points, this task would rank near the top of your list. The combination of tight deadline, high stakes, executive visibility, and partial progress creates maximum urgency. This is exactly the kind of task that should appear in your "10 to Win" focus session.

The Psychology Behind the System

Our algorithm is grounded in decades of productivity research and behavioral science

🕑 Temporal Discounting

Humans naturally devalue future rewards. By giving massive weight to imminent deadlines (+1200 for overdue), we counteract our tendency to procrastinate and force attention on time-sensitive work.

🎯 Eisenhower Matrix

The urgency vs. importance distinction (factors #2 and #3) comes from President Eisenhower's legendary productivity system. We quantify this qualitative framework into measurable scores.

👥 Social Accountability

Stakeholder waiting and blocks-others factors leverage social pressure. Research shows we're 65% more likely to complete tasks when others are counting on us.

⚡ Zeigarnik Effect

The partial progress factor (+300 max) exploits our brain's tendency to remember incomplete tasks. Started tasks create mental tension that drives completion.

💪 Eat the Frog

The energy level factor gives a slight boost to challenging tasks. Based on Brian Tracy's principle: tackle your hardest task first when your willpower is strongest.

📈 Loss Aversion

Delay consequences are weighted heavily because humans feel losses more strongly than equivalent gains. The threat of career or relationship damage motivates action.

How Modes Use These Factors

Each of our 10 task modes emphasizes different factors for specialized prioritization

graph TB subgraph FREE["Free Tier (2 Modes)"] A[10-Min-Fit] --> |"Balanced core factors"| F1[All 5 core factors equally] B[Critical-First] --> |"Maximum urgency"| F2[Urgency + Deadline boosted] end subgraph BASIC["Basic Tier (+3 Modes)"] C[Chunked] --> |"Small tasks first"| F3[Lower time estimates rise] D[Quick-Wins] --> |"Easy completions"| F4[Simple + High Progress] E[Deadline-Crunch] --> |"Time pressure"| F5[Deadline factor 2x weight] end subgraph PRO["Pro Tier (+5 Modes)"] F[Balance] --> |"Healthy mix"| F6[All 14 factors normalized] G[Flow Sync] --> |"Energy matching"| F7[Energy + Complexity aligned] H[Team Unblocker] --> |"Reduce bottlenecks"| F8[Blocks Others + Stakeholder priority] I[Relationship Guard] --> |"People first"| F9[Delay Consequence relationship boosted] J[Momentum Finish] --> |"Complete started work"| F10[Progress + Age prioritized] end style FREE fill:#3b82f6,stroke:#2563eb,color:#fff style BASIC fill:#8b5cf6,stroke:#7c3aed,color:#fff style PRO fill:#f97316,stroke:#ea580c,color:#fff

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Experience the power of intelligent task ranking. Let our 14-factor algorithm surface your most important work so you can win in just 10 minutes.

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