Urgent vs. Important

They sound similar, but are they? Do you know what the difference is between urgent and important? I know you probably do. When was the last time you gave those two concepts thought when looking at a laundry list of things to get done?

Urgent could be defined as "compelling immediate action or attention".
Important has one definition as "of great significance, value, or consequence".

The telephone ringing could be considered urgent, but it may or may not be important. Completing a school or work project is probably important, but may or may not be urgent.

Having addressed those suttle differences, we can apply those labels to the things that need to be done in our lives. Some things are not urgent, nor are they important. Others have varying degrees of those two labels or characteristics.

With time management, we try to focus first on those things that are both important and urgent. Anyone out there still working on their taxes? How about those deadlines for college applications?

Next we make sure that we allow time for working towards those things that are important, but not urgent. Maybe we need to make some headway on that budget we keep putting off or planning our goals for the next year or two and monitoring our progress. Setting aside time to be with family can fit here. Maintenance projects that tend to sneak up on us could be considered important, but not urgent.

As time allows, we can look at those things that are urgent, but not important. Some phone calls or e-mail could be considered urgent, but not important. Your friends just called with plans to go away for the weekend tomorrow? Definitely urgent, but important? That's for you to decide.

Lastly, we have the things in life that are not urgent and they are not important. In this area we look to minimize any time spent at all. Junk mail goes here. Solitaire anyone? Try to eliminate the time wasters in your day that do not help you or your situation. You'd be surprised how much time this will free up in your life.

I am not suggesting that your life must be a perfect model of efficiency. Steering your time towards the things that will have an impact on your life, while making sure we don't ignore those things off on the horizon, will make for a more successful, satisfying life.

Next time something gets dropped in your lap, ask yourself "Is this Urgent? Is this Important?" Then decide when it will get done, if ever.

When you are all done, meet me by the pool. I'll be doing something that's not urgent and not important. But that's okay sometimes too.