<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>How many times have you felt that there just aren't enough hours in the day? How often have you rearranged your schedule and rewritten your to-do list to deal with a pressing situation or "something that just came up"? Although time may seem like the issue, I'm willing to bet it's more about what you choose to make urgent, and what is really important.</p> <p>Everyday there are deadlines to meet, and "fires to put out". Something and someone is always begging for our attention, time and energy. But the reality is there is only so much to give. We each get 168 hours a week. That's it. No more. How you choose to use your 168 hours will determine the quality of your life, and your long-term overall happiness.</p> <p>So why is it that some people with their 168 hours can write books, build fortunes and break records, while others can barely survive to collapse in exhaustion at the end of the day? It all lies in what you choose to make "urgent" and what you choose to make "important".</p> <p>Urgency, in my experience and working with clients, tends to stem from one of two things - somebody else's need or our own fears. Recently I calculated that if I dealt with every "urgent" email that came across my desk everyday, it would take me roughly 7 &frac12; hours (every day!) to deal with what other people feel is urgent. Yet only a fraction of these emails actually reflected what to me, in my life, is truly important. The other reason for urgency, is fear. We tend to feel that something is urgent when there is a time limitation involved. Advertisers use this all time to get us to make impulse purchases on "limited time offers". When there is a chance we could miss an opportunity, or loose out on something, or even risk someone's disapproval, suddenly the issue becomes urgent.</p> <p><em>So my challenge to you is......</em> to take a few moments and really evaluate what in your life is important, and based on that, decide what you feel is urgent. Make a list of everything that is important to you in your life right now. It may look something like this:</p> <p>Taking care of my health</p> <p>Building my career</p> <p>Spending more time with my family</p> <p>Getting enough sleep</p> <p>Loosing weight</p> <p>Finding a new apartment</p> <p>Saving money</p> <p>Write as many things as you can think of. Now go through your list and put stars beside the top 10 or top 6 - depending how long your list is. Now put an extra star beside the top 3.</p> <p>Write these three things down on a sticky note and put it on your desk, in your wallet or on your bathroom mirror; somewhere that you can see it every day. This is what you've decided is really important to you right now. When a decision is to be made over whether or not something is urgent, consult your list. Does it move you further towards what is on that list? Is there a negative consequence from not addressing it immediately? If the answer isn't yes to either one of these questions, then it probably isn't really urgent. As you complete your top three objectives, move on to the next.</p> <p>Letting go of the urgent and embracing the important is what allows us to live richer and more rewarding lives. So until next time, take a deep breath, let go of the urgent, and enjoy doing what you find to be truly important. This is where the joy lies!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 2009-04-16T04:26:43Z -9.0683 180 4194 true 12 31219 urgent-vs-important 0 2009-04-18T11:57:43Z 2009-04-18T04:58:29Z

How many times have you felt that there just aren’t enough hours in the day? Letting go of the urgent and embracing the important is what allows us to live richer and more rewarding lives.

1 2009-04-18T04:58:29Z