How to Work More Efficiently

We all know it’s important to focus on the long-term, on pursuing those tough to acquire skills, on developing that network, and on planting that ‘tree’. But there’s often a seemingly unending queue of urgent things that only you can possibly do. These urgent things shout loudly, vying for your attention and so they get it, they get your time, and they get down. Meanwhile those important things (that have the potential

to drive your long-term success) patiently wait, occasionally trying to catch your eye, but rarely getting the attention they need.

Ask yourself a question, “When will I deal with those important, but not urgent things?” 

We all have to wrestle with this challenge of urgent vs. important, but it’s the people that find a way to deal with the important that gain ground.  It’s often tempting to deal with the urgent as we can tick them off our list quicker than those important things.  So we get a feeling of completion and feel good.

US president Dwight D. Eisenhower allegedly said ‘The most urgent decisions are rarely the most important ones.’ Eisenhower was a legend when it came to time management, he had the uncanny ability of getting everything done at the right time.  So, next time a task lands on your desk, before launching into ‘doing mode’ consider adopting the Eisenhower method and then make an informed decision on what wins in the battle of: Urgent vs Important.