urgent vs important
DESCRIPTION
Urgent Vs ImportantTRANSCRIPT
Urgent vs.
IImportant
Use Time Effectively, Not Just EfficientlyNot Just Efficiently
Time stressors are some of theTime stressors are some of the most pervasive sources of pressure and stress in the
workplace, and they happen as a result of having too much
t d i t littl tito do in too little time.
With this kind of pressure all toopressure all too
common, effective time managementtime management is an absolute
itnecessity.
You probably duse a day‐
planner and to‐pdo list to manage
your timeyour time.
These tools are certainly helpful, but they don't allow you to drill
down to one of the most essentialdown to one of the most essential elements of good time
Management
Management: di i i hi b h idistinguishing between what is important and what is urgent. p g
Great time management means being effective as well as efficient.
Managing time effectively, and achieving the things that you wantachieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending your time on things that are important
and not just urgent. a d ot just u ge t
To do this, and to minimize the t f h i t ti htstress of having too many tight
deadlines.
We need to distinguish clearly b t h t i t d h t ibetween what is urgent and what is
important.
Important activities have an t th t l d t thoutcome that leads to the
achievement of your goals.
Urgent activities demand immediateUrgent activities demand immediate attention, and are usually associated
fwith the achievement of someone else's goals, or with an uncomfortable problem or situation that needs to be resolved.
Urgent activities are often the ones gwe concentrate on.
These are the "squeaky wheels that get the grease."
They demand attention because the f t d li ithconsequences of not dealing with
them are immediate.
The Urgent vs. Important M t i i f l t l f thi kiMatrix is a useful tool for thinking
about this.
Ho to Use the ToolHow to Use the Tool
Th U /I M iThe Urgent/Important Matrix is a powerful way of thinking p y g
about priorities.
Using it helps you overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgentnatural tendency to focus on urgent
activities, so that you can keep enough time clear to focus on
what's really important.what s really important.
This is the way you move from "firefighting" into a position wherefirefighting , into a position where you can grow your business and
your career.
How to use this matrix to prioritize your activities:
Firstly, list all of the activities and y,projects you feel you have to do.
Try to include everything that takes ti t k hup your time at work, however unimportant.
If you manage your time using an A ti P 'll l d hAction Program, you'll already have
done this.
N t i i t t h fNext, assign importance to each of the activities
You can do this on, say, a scale of 1 , y,to 5: Remember, this is a measure of
how important the activity is inhow important the activity is in helping you meet your goals and
objectives.
Try not to worry about urgency at this stage as this helps get toat this stage, as this helps get to
the true importance.p
Once you have assigned importance to each activityimportance to each activity, evaluate the urgency of each g y
activity.
As you do this, you can plot the y , y plisted items on the matrix
di t th i daccording to the assigned importance and urgency.p g y
Now study the matrix using theNow study the matrix using the guidelines below, and schedule your
k di t i itiwork according to your priorities.
U t d N t I t tUrgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):( p )
Urgent and Not ImportantUrgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):
Urgent but not important activities can b t t f i t tibe a constant source of interruption.
Urgent and Not ImportantUrgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):
Ask yourself whether these tasks can be rescheduled, or whether someone else couldrescheduled, or whether someone else could
do them.
Urgent and Not ImportantUrgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):
Sometimes it's appropriate to say "No" to people, or encourage them to solve thepeople, or encourage them to solve the
problem themselves.
Urgent and Not Important
Alternatively try allocating time when you are
Urgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):
Alternatively, try allocating time when you are available, so that people only interrupt you at certain times (a good way of doing this is tocertain times (a good way of doing this is to
schedule a regular meeting so that all issues can be dealt with at the same time).
Urgent and Not ImportantUrgent and Not Important ("Interruptions"):
By doing this, the flow of work on your important activities will be less disrupted.
Not Urgent, but ImportantNot Urgent, but Important ("Important Goals"):
These are the activities that you can plan ahead for to achieve your goals and completeahead for to achieve your goals and complete
your work.
Not Urgent, but ImportantNot Urgent, but Important ("Important Goals"):
Make sure that you have plenty of time to achieve these, so that they do not becomeachieve these, so that they do not become
urgent.
Not Urgent, but ImportantNot Urgent, but Important ("Important Goals"):
Remember to leave enough time in your schedule to deal with unforeseen problems.
Not Urgent, but ImportantNot Urgent, but Important ("Important Goals"):
This will maximize your chances of keeping on schedule, and help you avoid the stress ofschedule, and help you avoid the stress of work becoming more urgent that necessary.
Not Urgent and Not ImportantNot Urgent and Not Important ("Distractions"):
These activities are just a distraction, and should be avoided if possible.
Not Urgent and Not ImportantNot Urgent and Not Important ("Distractions"):
Some can simply be ignored. Others are activities that other people want you to do, but they do not contribute to your own
desired outcomes.
Not Urgent and Not ImportantNot Urgent and Not Important ("Distractions"):
Again, say "No" politely and firmly where this is appropriate.
If people see you are clear about your objectives and boundaries, they will often not ask you to do "not important" activities in
future.