Urgent vs. Important

I cleaned my desk this week. Actually, I should say I cleaned my office because I left no surface unturned, including my digital desktop.

Other than gaining some mental relief, I also read a lot. Interesting articles. Notes I had jotted down. Letters from friends. Magazines… you know the little things you keep because something grabbed your interest.

Covey_matrix

Now it’s Friday, and I’m thinking about what I learned. One thing that has resonated is from Steven Covey’s Time Management Matrix. It inspired me to work on some items that weren’t urgent, but were important.

For me, like the chart illustrates, these areas are planning, learning and relationship development.

  • I called a client to see how a recent trip went. It was fun to get caught up.
  • I wrote a card to friend that I haven’t seen in a year to suggest dinner. That felt good.
  • I read some information about social media trends. So much going on!
  • And now, I’m writing this post. Important, but not urgent 🙂
It is always a challenge to focus on the important things that are not “up in our grill” constantly. For now, I’ve made a chart like the one to the left in my iPad app, Notability, that I’ll be updating to keep my eyes on the II quadrant, that often gets neglected by our busy lives.
What areas do you find are often in Quadrant II: important but not urgent?
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Sonia

Sonia is the marketing strategist & word geek for NeuConcept.