My solution is to add another column with defaults to lowest priority and adjust granularity based upon what’s needed then sort on vlookup. I agree that numeric prefixes are the simplest and easiest fix.
A vlookup solution is to define a list of priority and point that action then, but it will take a few seconds longer than running a targeted scan.
I’m new and still learning. Sorry for not providing an answer. I think we can figure this out.
The formulas that drive the category order a pretty fussy but can definitely be customized to your liking if you are an advanced user. I’d recommend the solution proposed by @richl and @jpfieber.