"Time is the School in Which We Learn” - The Battle Between Urgency and Importance

Time is the great equalizer. No matter our title, wealth, or age, we each have 24 hours in a day to use as we wish.

And yet, “I don’t have enough time” is a perennial complaint by leaders at all levels. 

Over 20+ years of coaching, I’ve seen the pattern - we prioritize what’s in front of us, what’s making noise, the short-term wins. We push aside longer-term achievements, what we “should” and even want to do, activities that don’t come with immediate reward.

We favor the urgent over the important.  

President Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a 1954 speech, “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” 

Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, applied these words to his now-famous matrix. 

I’ve incorporated this box into countless leadership development programs. It’s a simple model, easy to remember - but remarkably difficult to form into habit. 

Most organizations reward leaders for tackling the “urgent.” For addressing the angry customer. For winning the latest sale. For hitting the quarterly target. Less often do organizations celebrate the “important” - leaders having meaningful conversations with staff, actively shifting behaviors as a result of a 360, or nurturing an environment of psychological safety.

So what’s a leader to do?

In this newsletter, we offer three ways to balance the urgent and important, and to break through those time management roadblocks.

Stop making excuses.

“Time is a created thing. To say, 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.'” - Lao Tzu

Own your decisions. If you haven’t done something on your “important” list, explore why.

• “I don’t have the skills.” Build them or delegate.
• "I don't like doing it." How will doing something else achieve your goals?
• “It’s not that important.” Be ruthless with your list. If it’s not important right now, delay it. See if it’s important in a month. And then delete.

Start letting go.

You can’t do it all. If you want to evolve, you must create capacity for growth. Create room for new knowledge, opportunities, and skills by letting go of the old. Ask yourself:

• What am I doing that others can do as well or better?
• What am I NOT doing because I’m holding onto those tasks?
• How will I evolve as a leader if I start doing these new tasks instead?
• What first steps can I take to let go of the old and create room for the new?

(We will explore those “first steps” in a future newsletter - juicy topic!). 

Stay with it.

Enjoyable behavior prompts your brain to release dopamine, which creates the craving to repeat your actions. It feels GOOD to knock out an “urgent” task, even those that aren’t important. Battle the cravings by becoming aware of how and when you use your time. Consider scheduling check-ins with yourself:

• Friday - celebrate the week’s accomplishments, assess what didn’t get done, and schedule tasks the following week.
• Monday - review Friday’s assessment to see if anything changed over the weekend and give yourself a pep talk (“You’ve GOT this!”).
• Wednesday - conduct a midweek check-in and adjust your plan accordingly.
• Friday - see above.

Wrapping up.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

Gandalf is never wrong. How we use our time is one of the most important decisions a leader can make. Our choices are visible to others and shape our legacy. Make each day worthy of what’s important.

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Tina is founder of WorkJoy, offering coaching solutions for leaders at all levels. Investing in yourself is important. Investing in your people is important. Make these development commitments urgent - contact us today.