Stop asking your boss what the priorities are.
The question is too big to answer.

When you ask what matters, they say all of it.
Every leader does this. They mean it, and it does not help you at all.

Here is what is actually going on:

To answer you,
they have to line up 10 things,
weigh them against each other,
and then own that call when somebody asks about it later.

That is real work,
and you just handed it to them in the middle of a full week.

So they give you the easy answer…
It all matters.

The fix is to make the question smaller.

Bring them something to react to instead of something to figure out.

❌ What should I be focused on this quarter?
✅ I'm planning to focus on the migration and the reporting rebuild. What am I missing?

❌ What would you like me to prioritize?
✅ Here is what I am willing to let slip. Are we willing to accept the downside of that?

❌ How would you prioritize this list?
✅ Which two of these are your priority?

Then stop talking.
And let them think.

All you did was bring the thinking with you instead of asking for it.

You walk out with a real list.
They walk out thinking you operate a level above where you sit.

A big question gets you the whole list.
A small one gets you a decision.

This is one conversation, and it is the easy part.

A script gets you through a meeting. It does not change how you think.

Strategic thinking is what makes you the person they build the plan around, and that takes more than a better question.