--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Task triage is the habit of making a…" description: "\"Task triage is the habit of making a realistic assessment of what degree of perfection is required for a task at the point of accepting it, so one does..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg" --- # Task triage is the habit of making a realistic assessment… ![“Task triage is the habit of making a realistic assessment of what degree of perfection is required for a task at the point of accepting it, so one doesn't need to rely on one's habit of procrastinating to lower the bar.” quote by John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg) > “Task triage is the habit of making a realistic assessment of what degree of perfection is required for a task at the point of accepting it, so one doesn't need to rely on one's habit of procrastinating to lower the bar.” [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Task triage balances perfection with practicality to avoid procrastination. **In simple terms:** Prioritize realistic standards. Key Takeaway Set achievable quality thresholds. Themes productivity perfectionism time management Mood analytical pragmatic Type professional self‑help When to use this quote - project planning - software development - academic work Key Concepts decision theory behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - When is perfection essential? - How to set appropriate standards? A Different Perspective May compromise excellence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Assessment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) [Bars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Procrastinating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastinating/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) [Realistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realistic/) [Rely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rely/) [Required Task](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/required-task-3424716/) [Task](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/task/) [Task Triage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/task-triage-3424714/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Triage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triage/) [Triage Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triage-habit-3424715/) ## Related quotes > [Plan your day with an eye to your tendency to procrastinate, and put in safeguards to keep it to a minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/plan-your-day-with-an-eye-to-your-tendency-to-procrastinate-and-put/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [While procrastinating is not a flaw, being a structured procrastinator is actually one way of being pretty productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/while-procrastinating-is-not-a-flaw-being-a-structured-procrastinator/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Soon after a disaster passes, we tend to turn our eyes away and focus our resources on the day-to-day, rather than on preparing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-fink/soon-after-a-disaster-passes-we-tend-to-turn-our-eyes-away-and-focus/) [Sheri Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-fink/) > [I have time to write 1-2 novels per year, and get roughly novel-sized ideas every month. I have to perform triage on my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-time-to-write-1-2-novels-per-year-and-get-roughly-novel-sized/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“That would certainly be a better name for this planet than Earth, since it would give people who just got here a clearer idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-would-certainly-be-a-better-name-for-this-planet-than-earth/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I think as we get older, as we get more mature and more experienced, we do realize it's like, 'blah, blah, blah,' oh there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/i-think-as-we-get-older-as-we-get-more-mature-and-more-experienced-we/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [“Concepts of triage and medical rationing are a barometer of how those in power in a society value human life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-fink/concepts-of-triage-and-medical-rationing-are-a-barometer-of-how-those/) [Sheri Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-fink/) > [The term 'triage' normally means deciding who gets attention first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/the-term-triage-normally-means-deciding-who-gets-attention-first/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [“Novel writing is mostly triage (this now, that later) and obstinacy. Trying something, and when that doesn't work, trying something else. Welcoming clutter Surrendering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/novel-writing-is-mostly-triage-this-now-that-later-and-obstinacy/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [My life is triage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/my-life-is-triage/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [Reporters are not merely recording devices that take down what people say and repeat it in print; we are expected to use our knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/reporters-are-not-merely-recording-devices-that-take-down-what-people/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [We've painted ourselves into a corner where the only choice is real nightmare - triage, epidemic disease, famine, fascism, the collapse of human rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-ve-painted-ourselves-into-a-corner-where-the-only-choice-is-real/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“To my eyes, the presence of a few families like these only brought into sharper relief the ambiguous morality of the evacuation. The marines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-french/to-my-eyes-the-presence-of-a-few-families-like-these-only-brought/) [Howard W. French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-french/) > [I do triage on everything that comes through the door, and if it's not something we need (now, for real-not maybe someday) or something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-herman/i-do-triage-on-everything-that-comes-through-the-door-and-if-it-s-not/) [Michelle Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-herman/) > [i have no point in procrastinating any longer..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-rheta-schreiber/i-have-no-point-in-procrastinating-any-longer/) [Flora Rheta Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-rheta-schreiber/) ## More by John Perry > [Voltaire was a smart cookie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/voltaire-was-a-smart-cookie/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Nothing focuses attention like a real deadline. If you are in a field where life and death, or having a job or not having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/nothing-focuses-attention-like-a-real-deadline-if-you-are-in-a-field/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Taking a long time to do something not worth doing, that is, doing it inefficiently, seems even more useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/taking-a-long-time-to-do-something-not-worth-doing-that-is-doing-it/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [The essence is that many procrastinators are "structured procrastinators," people who, like me, get a lot done as a way of not working on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/the-essence-is-that-many-procrastinators-are-structured/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [The fantasy of doing a task perfectly is common with procrastinators; they set the bar for success very high. Then they are afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/the-fantasy-of-doing-a-task-perfectly-is-common-with-procrastinators/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [I was surprised by how many people think of themselves as procrastinators, but, like me, seem to get a lot done anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/i-was-surprised-by-how-many-people-think-of-themselves-as/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [“Procrastinators often follow exactly the wrong tack. They try to minimize their commitments, assuming that if they have only a few things to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/procrastinators-often-follow-exactly-the-wrong-tack-they-try-to-2/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [The anceints devoted a lifetime to the study of arithmetic; it required days to extract a square root or to multiply two numbers together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/the-anceints-devoted-a-lifetime-to-the-study-of-arithmetic-it/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [“The philosopher Ernst Mach once got on a bus, and saw a scruffy unkempt bookish-looking person at the far end. He thought to himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/the-philosopher-ernst-mach-once-got-on-a-bus-and-saw-a-scruffy/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [While procrastinating is not a flaw, being a structured procrastinator is actually one way of being pretty productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/while-procrastinating-is-not-a-flaw-being-a-structured-procrastinator/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [You may lack will power, but that doesn't mean you can't take a lot of steps to make yourself more productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/you-may-lack-will-power-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you-can-t-take-a-lot-of/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Hope provides comfort, and hope does not always require probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/hope-provides-comfort-and-hope-does-not-always-require-probability/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Plan your day with an eye to your tendency to procrastinate, and put in safeguards to keep it to a minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/plan-your-day-with-an-eye-to-your-tendency-to-procrastinate-and-put/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) [Explore all 14 John Perry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) [Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Task triage is the habit of making a realistic assessment of what degree of perfection is required for a task at the point of accepting it, so one doesn't need to rely on one's habit of procrastinating to lower the bar.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Perry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-realistic-assessment-of-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accepting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-realistic-assessment-of-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/john-perry-33804_accepting_task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-rea_2797449.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Task triage is the habit of making a realistic assessment of what degree of perfection is required for a…” — John Perry", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Perry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Task triage is the habit of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-realistic-assessment-of-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/task-triage-is-the-habit-of-making-a-realistic-assessment-of-what/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```