Urgent vs. Important Tasks: Making The Most of Your Time

Editor's Notes

• #2: Many ways to go about your work, life, and days. This presentation is one prospective and is only one piece of greater personal management. Meant to make you think about your decisions & self management.
• #3: On paper, list two columns, 1) for things important to you, and 2) for tasks to reach results. Your “first things first” - think deep for a minute (personal & work) SWIPE: What are the most important things to you, your first things. (people, activities, beliefs) SWIPE: What things/tasks related to your first things do you know without a doubt, if done consistently and well, would allow you to reach superb results? (actionable items, goals) 3 mins (time) --> Put these notes aside for a few minutes.
• #4: On paper, list two columns, 1) for things important to you, and 2) for tasks to reach results. Your “first things first” - think deep for a minute (personal & work) SWIPE: What are the most important things to you, your first things. (people, activities, beliefs) SWIPE: What things/tasks related to your first things do you know without a doubt, if done consistently and well, would allow you to reach superb results? (actionable items, goals) 3 mins (time) --> Put these notes aside for a few minutes.
• #5: We all have a lot to think about each day. Stuff coming at us fast, from different angles and different parts of our life. Becomes stressful and hard to manage. Often we just give up and try to work through our days as quickly as we can - but always more to do... but remain stressed. Next day, more piled on.
• #6: Usually caused by: alot of little tasks few big tasks These tasks can be: self assigned placed on you by others shared by a team *ASK: staff for hand on each type of task, for prospective. “Which types do you encounter? Alot/Big? Self/Others/Shared?
• #7: Urgent tasks require immediate attention Things that work on us (Ringing phones) Matters which are visible - in front of us Often popular with others Often pleasant or fun to do Often unimportant... Important tasks have to do with results Require more initiative and proactivity to get going (b/c often not urgent) Contributes to your goals, values, or mission (which you must plan ahead of time & make time for) -- as we did briefly earlier.
• #8: Enters the Urgent vs. important matrix. A way of looking at tasks, time, and your roles. May remember brief discussion from the time management seminar Urgent-Important #1: Crisis & pressing deadlines Not Urgent-Important #2: Planning & prevention (leadership quadrant) Urgent-Not Important #3: Seemingly important timewasters Urgent-Not Important #4: Timewaters NOTE: Go over quad bullets quickly.
• #9: Urgent-Important #1: Crisis & pressing deadlines Leads to...
• #10: Urgent-Not Important #3: Seemingly important timewatsers Leads to... - Often thrown on your desk, but is it really important?
• #11: Urgent-Not Important #3: Seemingly important timewatsers Urgent-Not Important #4: Timewaters Irrelevant, busy work, excessive TV internet, etc.
• #12: Not Urgent-Important #2: Planning & prevention Prevention is not urgent but important, right? Critically important. Leadership quad. Makes Quad I smaller over time because you are focused on important issues, have prospective, and foresight
• #13: Which matrix are you? Draw a rectangle or square -- take a moment and consider your work/life balance. Where are you spending your days? Think about your days and weeks. Where do those tasks fit? Then, look at your notes from earlier, use them to define your matrix What are the most important things to you, your first things. What things/tasks you know without a doubt, if done consistently and well, would allow you to reach superb results? 5 Mins (time) Go to next slide for reference...
• #14: *ask staff for feedback: ASK: Is there anyone who is confused, or need clarification? ASK: Who feels good about their matrix? Balanced enough? Your days and weeks. ASK: Where they go? (Guessing, #1 or #3) Your notes from earlier, use them to define your matrix. ASK: Where they go? What are the most important things to you, your first things. What things/tasks you know without a doubt, if done consistently and well, would allow you to reach superb results? (Guessing, #2 - 1 or 2, but not doing them as much as you can or should - why in #2? Because you are not doing them. These are your most Important things, but they are not urgent. Pop culture has defined us this way. Look at agendas of meetings, almost all are #1 & #3. #2 is called “other biz” and pushed aside by #1 & #3.) ASK: Who would like to improve it? We all can improve...
• #15: How to correct and live more in Quadrant II? Impossible to be perfect, but here are a few tips to help you focus on important and not urgent items. Make our best effort and utilize our god given skills, energy, and mission.
• #16: Just say NO! Make more time by neglecting quad #3 & #4. It is ok to say no in an office environment. We have a tendency to be yes men, especially to our boss, because we think if we say no we will be looked down on. But a well placed NO, with sufficient reason because of redirecting other important goals, should and can be respected when done with respect. -> Be careful, sometimes you must balance your priorities ... may look like a #3, but it may be a #1. What is important to others is as important to you as much as the other person is important to you (think your boss or spouse). Example: This because pleasing your boss and keep our job (to provide for or family) is more important than some other sub-priority of yours. The key here is to know your high level “first things first” goals so you can make wise decisions based on your core values.
• #17: ***Remember from time management seminar... *Re-hash from last seminar I did (if you want slides/notes just ask). Writing down your tasks, rather than only in your mind or using your inbox as a task list forces you to think about each item, its value, and how it fits into everything else. Internalize as something you need to do – less likely to forget --> If you have mastered this or find it unfulfilling, consider more advanced systems of management like the full FranklinCovey system, Getting Things Done task management theory, or use of computer task management (via Outlook or other web services). Ask me if you’d like more information on any of these options.
• #18: Most important: Have a purpose. Take time to plan our at the highest level. “First things first”. This will allow you to say “no” and “prioritize tasks.” --> Started today with our notes... Think about your roles (project manager, husband, church member, etc.) Think about your goals (get a raise, spend time with my family, help elderly man next door mow the lawn) Think about your mission (your purpose here on earth, your highest values, your spirituality)
• #19: GO! All starts by putting this first and doing it! Take what you learned here, read more, and implement. Do not procrastinate. Be proactive, not reactive. Get your feeling, goals, mission, plan on paper ... and implement your plan to make your life better. Make it a IMPORTANT action in lieu of URGENT tasks. Make the sacrifice now (stay up late one night, take a day off of work, turn off the TV) to do these IMPORTANT planing tasks... Rinse, wash, repeat!
• #20: We only covered, in very brief form, one of the 7 habits of highly effective people. See red shaded. Not a new book anymore, but... If have not read Not read in awhile Read it... good stuff. I revisit about yearly and learn new things each time.
• #21: Next session, if people are interested... “Inbox Zero” - keeping your inbox at few, if any, emails but keeping track of them and not letting email run your life.