Urgent vs. Important
Dwight Eisenhower is noted as saying, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” This "Eisenhower Principle" is said to be the basis for how he organized his workload and priorities.
“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” – Dwight Eisenhower
Ike recognized that great time management means being effective as well as efficient. In other words, great leaders must spend their time on that which is important, not just the things that are urgent.
To do this, we need to first understand this distinction:
IMPORTANT activities have an outcome that leads to us achieving our goals, whether these are professional or personal.
URGENT activities demand immediate attention and are usually associated with achieving someone else's goals.
When we can discern which activities are important and which are urgent, we are able to overcome the natural tendency to focus on urgent but often unimportant tasks that demand our attention. We can minimize the stress of having too many pressing deadlines and clear enough time to do the things that are essential for our success.
When we can discern which activities are important and which are urgent, we can minimize the stress of having too many pressing deadlines and clear enough time to do the things that are essential for our success.
While this is true for leaders in general, at this time in history it’s especially true for church leaders. With the need to “pivot” quite frequently it’s essential to recognize what is important and what is urgent and then act accordingly.
Business thinker Stephen Covey popularized Eisenhower’s Decision Principle in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In that book, Covey created a decision matrix to help individuals make the distinction between what’s important and not important and what’s urgent and not urgent.
Q1: Urgent, Important
There are things that help to filter out what should be in this quadrant: (1) They are time-sensitive. (2) They have to be done by you. For example, as the senior leader, you need to attend that key meeting with the church elders. As the lead pastor, you need to have that hard conversation with a staff member. As the primary communicator, you need to carve out time for sermon preparation.
As well, you can’t predict or avoid unexpected interruptions born of serious crises such as a suicide, moral failure, or funeral. Therefore, it’s best is to leave some margin in Quadrant 1 to handle these.
While we’ll never be able to completely eliminate urgent and important tasks, we can significantly reduce them with a bit of proactivity and by spending more time in Quadrant 2.
Q2: Important, Not Urgent
According to Covey, we should seek to spend most of our time on Q2 activities as it will allow for the greatest gain. Unfortunately, we face the challenge of “present bias.”
We all have an inclination to focus on whatever is most pressing at the moment. It’s hard to get motivated to do something when there isn’t a deadline looming over our heads. Departing from this fallback position takes willpower and self-discipline – qualities that don’t come naturally and must be actively cultivated and expressed.
While items in this quadrant do not demand immediate attention, they cannot be neglected if you hope to reach your goals and accomplish your mission. Examples of this might include disciple-making, your marriage, and long-range planning. Wise leaders carve out time and energy for these important things so that they do not become urgent.
In addition, add items such as your personal time with the Lord, regular exercise, and recreation to this quadrant. These will allow for sustainable rhythms of work and rest. This will maximize your chances of keeping on track, and help you avoid the stress of work becoming more urgent than necessary.
Q3: Urgent, Not Important
These are urgent tasks that come up but can be handled by someone else and should be handled by someone else. In other words, it should not be of deep importance to you. These items should be delegated or outsourced.
According to Covey, many people spend most of their time on Q3 tasks, all the while thinking they’re working in Q1. Because Q3 tasks do help others out, they definitely feel important. Plus, they’re also usually tangible tasks, the completion of which gives you that sense of satisfaction that comes from checking something off your list.
It is really Quadrant III that steals the important energy from leaders, energy that is needed for Quadrant I and Quadrant II. As Peter Drucker stated, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Leaders who don’t take time to evaluate what shouldn’t be done in the first place continue to waste time and energy on the unimportant.
Q4: Not Important, Not Urgent
Quadrant 4 activities aren’t urgent and aren’t important. Q4 activities aren’t pressing nor do they help you achieve long-term goals or fulfill your mission as a leader. They’re primarily distractions.
Specific examples of Not Urgent and Not Important Tasks include:
Watching TV
Mindlessly surfing the web
Playing video games
Scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Reading a “fun” book.
As a pragmatist, I don’t think you need to eliminate Q4 activities altogether from your life. After a particularly hectic and busy day, often reading a crime thriller or watching a favorite TV show is exactly what my brain needs to decompress.
Instead of aiming to completely rid yourself of Not Urgent and Not Important tasks, try to right-size them. After all, this is the 4th most important quadrant for a reason.
Here are a few summary thoughts:
Take time to plan work, not just do work.
The unnecessary robs from the important.
So that the important and urgent don’t crush us, leaders must appropriate energy from Quadrant III and Quadrant IV.
Be Like Ike. Spend More Time on Important Tasks.
In our present world, the ability to distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s truly important is an essential skill to have. When faced with a decision, stop and ask yourself, “Am I doing this because it’s important, or am I doing it because it’s merely urgent?”
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