There’s more and more pressure around us to put priority on the urgent. But there’s a big difference between doing what’s important and doing what’s urgent.
The reality is that most “urgent” tasks really aren’t urgent. Most likely, it is a task that we classify as urgent because having it undone leaves an unsettling feeling in the back of our minds. So we train ourselves to deem tasks urgent and make it feel meaningful when it is accomplished.
But ask yourself when you encounter your next urgent task: what are the consequences of doing this task an hour from now? Two hours? Tomorrow? Will there be severe consequences? Chances are that it will be fine.
Make a habit to focus instead on what is important. That’s the key to make real progress.