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What is one of the top answers when you ask someone how he is doing?
“Oh, I am so busy!!! I have so much to do”. It feels like if you are not busy, you don’t have an interesting life. So many people wear their “busyness” as a badge of honor. They are so proud of the fact that they had a lot to do. But actually, they shouldn’t. I have to admit I used to be there.
And then, I realized that my busyness was stealing my joy. Instead of being in the present, I was always thinking about the next 20 tasks I had to do. And I was certainly not being efficient. I was so stressed! And from time to time, I fall back in this rabbit hole. But less and less. As I have come to a realization: the difference between an urgent task and an important task.
Urgent tasks are tasks that have an immediate deadline or are late. They require your attention right now. They have a strong connection to TIME. People who are always busy focus on the urgent tasks.
Important tasks are tasks that have an important impact on your goals. They require your focus. They have a strong connection to RESULTS. People who manage well their time, focus on the important tasks.
The pareto law teaches us that 20% of our tasks contribute to 80% of our goals. Focusing on these 20% inputs is worth the effort, right ?
I call them the “key tasks”. If you want to be successful in life, it is crucial to focus on identifying them, planning them and doing them with a high level of focus.
The first step is to identify these key tasks. To do so, I use the time matrix below. This matrix splits tasks based on the degree of urgency of a task on the X-axis, and the degree of its importance on a Y-axis.
When I list the tasks I have to do, I split them on the time matrix :
- The not urgent and not important tasks : such as browsing the web, social media, gossiping,… these tasks have very low to no value in your life. They represent distraction and procrastination. They prevent you from achieving your goals. You want to eliminate them as much as possible. It is the “ELIMINATE IT” category !
- The urgent but not important tasks : such as emails asking for an immediate answer, people who keep coming to your office, who keep calling you,….The key point of these tasks is that they interrupt you in the middle of your important work. And every time, you let that happen, research shows it will take you around 20 minutes to be back in the flow state in which you were, before being interrupted. What a waste!!!! These tasks prevent you from achieving your goals as well. You want to reduce their impact. A good strategy is to set boundaries. For example, you can put an automatic reply to your emails indicating that you look at your emails and reply to them only twice a day at 10am and 4pm, due to your dedication to important projects. You can invite people to call you directly if their request cannot wait. You also can delegate these tasks. Remember these tasks are not important. So delegating is a good strategy. A third option is to postpone these tasks. I have observed that these tasks seem so crucial in the moment, but if you wait for example for one week, I often then realize that this task is not needed anymore. I then wonder why it was on my “to-do” list to start with. It is the “DELEGATE IT” category !
- The urgent and important tasks : a lot of our time is spent there. A lot of the daily fire-fighting, a lot of unforeseen issues that require your immediate attention. There is little choice in this category. You have to do it. It is the “DO IT” category !
- And then finally, as you have guessed the key tasks : the important but not urgent tasks. They represent only 20% of your all to-do list. That’s why usually they are neglected by most, especially with the fact that they are not urgent. Is taking your spouse on a date this week urgent ? Absolutely not ! But is it important? you bet it is. Otherwise, your couple will pay a damaging price in several years. What about working out ? eating healthy ? reading ? spending time with the kids ? drafting a career plan ? You can see very quickly that these tasks are crucial for you to achieve your goals. And the most important action to implement regarding these tasks is to plan them. You don’t want the urgent tasks to take over all your calendar. You want to plan them as if it were an appointment. And in a way, it is. It is you meeting you, taking care of you. It is the “PLAN IT” category !
When you have a task falling on your laps, it is crucial to not just react to it; but to wonder in which of the 4 quadrants of the time matrix, this task belongs to. The key question is especially: is this task important ?
I especially suggest to ask yourself some clarifying questions :
- When does this activity really need to be done ?
- Is there another resource or method to get this task done ?
- What priority should this task have in comparison to tasks I have already planned for my day / my week?
- What contribution does this task have to my goals ?
IdealFit products enhance your fitness and make your day better, but we’re also your best bud when it comes to fitness advice and guidance. Our unique line of challenges sets us apart from the competition by offering both free and paid training programs that are tailored specifically to help achieve your goals.
