back-burnering
Setting aside indefinitely
Back-burnering is the act of deprioritizing something, setting it aside for later attention while focusing on more pressing matters.
The image comes from cooking, where pots on the back burners of a stove simmer while the cook attends to dishes on the front burners.
The project got back-burnered when budget cuts hit.
It suggests something isn't abandoned entirely, just postponed indefinitely—which sometimes means the same thing.
Reducing something's importance
- shelvingHorizontal storage surfaces
- postponingRescheduling for later
- deferringPostponing or yielding respectfully
- sideliningRemoving from participation
tabling · delaying · backlogging · queuing · ranking · triaging · scheduling · reordering
Organized efforts toward goals
- deadlinesSubmission cutoff times
- initiativesSelf-started new efforts
- meetingsOrganized group assemblies
- proposalsFormal offers or plans
tasks · assignments · workload · bandwidth · capacity · delegation · management · juggling
Involuntary sleep visions
- goalsIntended end results
- hobbiesLeisure activities for pleasure
- aspirationsDeeply held goals
- self-careMaintaining personal wellbeing
relationships · passions · fitness · education · neglecting · procrastinating · wishlist · intentions
deprioritizing
Reducing something's importance
- shelvingHorizontal storage surfaces
- postponingRescheduling for later
- deferringPostponing or yielding respectfully
sidelining · tabling · delaying · backlogging · queuing · ranking · triaging · scheduling · reordering · reprioritizing
projects
Organized efforts toward goals
- deadlinesSubmission cutoff times
- initiativesSelf-started new efforts
- meetingsOrganized group assemblies
proposals · tasks · assignments · workload · bandwidth · capacity · delegation · management · juggling · multitasking
dreams
Involuntary sleep visions
- goalsIntended end results
- hobbiesLeisure activities for pleasure
- aspirationsDeeply held goals
self-care · relationships · passions · fitness · education · neglecting · procrastinating · wishlist · intentions · resolutions
back-burneringprioritizing
Ordering by importance
fast-tracking · expediting · spotlighting · foregrounding · rushing
back-burneringacting on
Responding to input
jumping on · attacking · taking up · launching · initiating
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