In such a state, it is easy to lose sight of the distinction between the truly important and the merely urgent. We are, as author Douglas Rushkoff claims, experiencing “present shock” – a condition in which “we live in a continuous, always-on ‘now’” and lose our sense of long-term narrative and direction. Miley Cyrus’ Twerk-gate is given the same weight as important D.C. Our stimulus-producing tech treats all information as equally urgent and pressing. Modern technologies (24-hour news, Twitter, Facebook, text messaging) that constantly bombard us with information have only heightened this deeply engrained mindset. This propensity likely has roots in our evolutionary history our ancestors concentrated more on short-term concerns than long-term strategy, as tending to immediate stimuli (like a charging saber-toothed cat) could mean the difference between life and death. It’s a pretty intuitive distinction, yet most of us frequently fall into the trap of believing that all urgent activities are also important. When we focus on important activities we operate in a responsive mode, which helps us remain calm, rational, and open to new opportunities. Sometimes important tasks are also urgent, but typically they’re not. Important tasks are things that contribute to our long-term mission, values, and goals. These are the to-do’s that shout “Now!” Urgent tasks put us in a reactive mode, one marked by a defensive, negative, hurried, and narrowly-focused mindset. Urgent means that a task requires immediate attention. The Difference Between Urgent and Important “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”īelow we look into the distinction ol’ Ike made between those two very different things, and explore how understanding the “Eisenhower Decision Principle” can help you become the man you want to be. Today we’re going to talk about another – a principle that guided him through his entire, hugely successful career as general and president: We’ve talked before about the many leadership lessons that can be gleaned from the life of Dwight D. Then you, my friend, are probably confusing the urgent with the important. You don’t even need to provide your credit card details to access to all of our features, including the entire suite of templates, for a full 14 days.Do you sometimes feel like you spend all your time managing crises? That your life is basically spent putting out one proverbial fire after another?Īt the end of the day do you feel completely sapped and drained of energy, and yet can’t point to anything you accomplished of real significance? Experience the power of GroupMap with our 14-day, no risk, FREE trial. GroupMap gives you all the group decision making tools you need to prioritize, decide and take action.Ĭreate your first map and invite people in to start sharing their thoughts right NOW. This ensures the activity identifies actionable issues rather than becoming just a discussion on ideas. GroupMap templates keep the objective front and center throughout the session, keeping everyone on task. Prevent dominant personalities swaying the group, drowning out the opinions of others – GroupMap allows everyone to brainstorm independently then effortlessly combines that information to reveal the full spectrum of ideas. Whether you have your best minds together in the same room, or distributed around the world, GroupMap’s unique technology allows groups of up to 2000 to submit ideas independently at separate times, from different places, in different timezones. However, there is no reason why you can’t brainstorm, group position, plan actions, and write up a consolidated action plan in less than an hour or two. Q3 is dealt with as a lesser priority, and many tasks from Q4 should be eliminated completely.Īs with most brainstorming activities, the time required to conduct an effective Urgent Vs Important analysis varies depending on the organization, the size of the group, and the focus of the session. The negative consequences of not doing them tend to accumulate over a longer period and can then become a crisis.Īctions plans should focus on Q1 and Q2. Important activities are proactive and lead to long-term benefits. They are sometimes urgent but usually aren’t. Important tasks contribute to our long-term mission, values, and goals. Urgent tasks are reactive, defensive, hurried, short term, and have a narrow focus. The negative consequences of not doing them are immediate. They are things that can’t be put off and are often for others. Understanding the clear difference between urgent and important is the key to obtaining valuable outcomes.
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