Just Go Fishing – Prioritizing The Urgent and The Important
by Kaci Lenz
It was Final’s week for my middle son who was a freshman in high school at the time. He really focused on his grades that year since they affected his transcript. Being his first year in high school and having his grades actually mean something, I assumed he would be stressed and hunkered down in his room studying. To my surprise, I saw him rushing around the house, going in and out of the garage, and finally, heading to the front door. Then, he yelled out to me, “Mom, be back in a little bit. I am going fishing until it gets dark.” Of course, I stopped him questioning this decision since one would hope he would be preparing to do his best on his test tomorrow. His reply, “I have a ‘B’ in this class. I can make a 100% on the test and not get an ‘A’ and I only need a 33% to maintain my ‘B’. Love you, see you later, I am going fishing!” Being a person who touts “whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability”, this situation really made me think and I concluded, I wish I could be like him and make a decision as quick, concise, and logical as he did.
How many times do we focus on things we cannot change? Or spend too much time and energy on menial tasks that won’t affect the bottom line? Often in business (or life in general), we get focused on tasks or deadlines without questioning whether or not they are necessary or if the time allotted to a task is worthwhile. This behavior leads to reduced productivity, burnout, poor work-life balance, and increased stress.
So, as businesses or individuals, what can we do? One tool that is used to help companies struggling with incomplete tasks and constant “emergencies” is the Eisenhower Matrix. Dwight D. Eisenhower presented the idea of two types of problems – the urgent and the important. The Eisenhower Matrix consists of 4 quadrants to make a distinction between what is important, not important, urgent, and not urgent. Here is the Eisenhower Matrix and an explanation of the quadrants.
Utilizing this matrix, businesses can prioritize effectively by isolating what is urgent and important. The urgent tasks need to be handled immediately while the important tasks assist companies in meeting objectives and gaining value. We often find ourselves drawn to urgent, time-sensitive tasks even though they are less likely to produce a long-term payoff. Time and again, we base importance on the duration of the task instead of focusing on the consequences of the choice. Spending too much time in the “Do” quadrant can lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction from constantly putting out fires. Better processes and planning will assist in moving more tasks into Quadrant 2 and less problems to pop up in Quadrant 1. By eliminating tasks that hold no value, time is freed to focus on the important tasks that create value.
Conclusion
In the story about my son, he took a step back to assess the situation and potential outcomes of studying for the test. He quickly decided although he could control what he received on the test, it didn’t add any value and was unnecessary; therefore, falling into Quadrant 4 and being deleted. Start prioritizing your tasks employing the Urgent vs Important matrix and GO FISHING!
