"Urgent" vs "Important"
We’re all busy
people. Whether we’re “productive” is
something I’ve discussed in a previous
article, but this follows along the same lines. Here I look at priorities and how to manage
them.
The first time I encountered this concept was when I heard
Hyrum Smith (CEO of what was then known as The Franklin Institute) talking
about the “tyranny of the urgent vs the important”). I recently learned that this was known as
“The Eisenhower Box” or the “Eisenhower Matrix”. His point was that things are:
- Urgent and important
- Not urgent but important
- Not important but urgent
- Not important and not urgent.
If you imagine the above descriptions as a grid with
“Urgent” and “Not “Urgent” across the top and “Important” and “Not Important”
down the left side, you can then start to “plug things into” the appropriate
“box” described below:
1. “Urgent and
Important”:
These are the things that must get done NOW or there’s going to be a problem (lost business,
fines, etc). When your phone rings, even
if you're talking to someone at your desk, it’s “urgent and important” until you find out what it’s about.
2. “Not Urgent but Important”:
These are longer-term tasks that require more time spent on
quality thought. They’re what will drive
the business in the medium to long-term and need attention - but when you have
the time. They include business-building,
relationship-building or planning, going through the finances, staff
counselling, meeting regulatory requirements, perhaps dealing with the press. These are what should take most of your time
and need undivided attention. Yes, they
may not interest us, but they’re still important…
3. Not Important but Urgent:
The key here is “not important” - to you. These are tasks that
others can do, that you can delegate
(if you have the staff). If not, you
then have to decide if they’re important enough to go to Box 1 or whether they
can “wait a bit” and go to Box 2.
4. “Not Important and Not Urgent”:
These you don't do.
Here’s a way to decide how “urgent” something is. First ask yourself, “What would happen if I didn't
deal with this right now?” If the answer is “Nothing/very little/nothing
I can’t handle later”, it isn't urgent. Any
other answer means it’s urgent and needs your attention (or someone else’s) –
fast.
To decide if it’s important ask, “Does it require my attention or can someone else do
it?” If the answer to the first part is
“Yes”, go back to the first question to determine if you need to drop
everything or if you can/must do it later (this afternoon, say) when you have
an uninterrupted hour and can concentrate.
If “No”, decide whether to “delegate or delete”.
Take the example of the phone call during the meeting at
your desk, it could be your partner asking you to pick up a loaf of bread on
your way home, or the police calling to tell you that your child has been in an
accident and is being rushed to Intensive Care.
Until you answer, you don't know.
It’s Urgent and Important until
you get this information.
In the case of the loaf of bread, it isn’t important or
urgent right now (but if you forget
on the way home…) and you carry on with the meeting. If your child’s been in an accident, your view
would be very different.
Another example: you receive a letter of complaint from a
customer. You decide that if this matter
isn’t handled now, it may result in
bad publicity and lost business. Urgent and Important. Customer complaints must be investigated and
resolved quickly. You investigate, respond personally and the
customer tells their friends about the brilliant service they received and that
they’ll always be loyal to your business.
You may have delegated the
investigation to one of your staff and dictated the response to your PA to be
printed for your signature, but the result is the same.
There are different ways of prioritising and handling
things. The key is to select the most
effective one for the situation. If in doubt, remember
Dwight Eisenhower’s words: “What is important is seldom urgent and what
is urgent is seldom important.”
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Strategy
posted by William Martin @ 09:11
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