Don't Let The Important Become Urgent

May 17, 2023

3 minute read...

“Don’t ever let the important become urgent.”

When Eli Goldratt was in his final days, this was a lesson he believed was one of his most important to teach.

As you may have noticed, I missed sending a couple of newsletters recently. Covid decided to pay our family a visit this past week, and I fretted over the likelihood of missing yet another.

Then I got to thinking about that message of Eli’s.

Where does a newsletter (like this one) fall in the realm of importance and urgency? You could be writing said newsletter, or you could simply be reading it. The question is the same.

I remembered Steven Covey’s matrix and allowed myself to think about it from the vantage point of that framework.

Covey’s Quadrants

Quadrant 1 includes those things that are both Important and Urgent. They are the fires that must be put out. If you don’t put out the fire, the house will undoubtedly burn down.
Quadrant 2 activities are Important but not (yet) Urgent. Ignore Quadrant 2 and the Quadrant 1 list grows longer and more intense. Take care of Quadrant 2 and chances are you create a very sparse list in Quadrant 1. Personal and professional development are among the types of activities that sit in this quadrant.
Quadrant 3 encompasses the kinds of distractions that are Urgent but Not Important. Eli Goldratt called these Chupchicks. My friends Dr. Yishai Ashlag and Kristen Cox would call them Fish Decorating. Putting attention and working on them, not moving the needle toward your big goal.
Quadrant 4 holds the true time wasters – neither important nor urgent. I’d put the time I spend playing games on my iPad right here.

Living Life in Quadrant 2

My intention is for this newsletter, Assumption Hacker’s Advantage, to be a Quadrant 2 activity for you. A couple of minutes weekly(ish) to help you in your efforts to think more clearly so that you can make the kinds of improvements in your life and business that are most meaningful for you.

And I’ll remember that if I miss writing one from time to time, it won’t qualify as an urgent fire that I must put out. Rather, I’ll focus on the next one as soon as I’m able.

So take Eli’s advice this week and remember to keep the important from becoming urgent. Whether you’re at work, with your family, or maybe writing your own newsletter. Stay ahead of it. And if you get behind, reset. Because the alternative is putting out an endless series of fires. We’ve all been there before and we all know where that goes. Not a good way to live life.

Instead, let's live life more in Quadrant 2 this week.

Until next week,
Lisa

_{Note: For more on the Quadrants framework, check out Steven Covey's classic The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. For more on what Ashlag and Cox called "fish decorating", check out their great little book Stop Decorating The Fish.}

Whenever you're ready, here are a couple of ways I can help you:

Assumption Hacking Essentials. Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt said in his forward to The Goal, “The challenging of basic assumptions is essential to breakthroughs.” In this digital course, I'll take you through a three step process for exposing, challenging, and resolving those basic assumptions. As I mentioned above, Covid visited the family this week. And so we're a bit behind on the course launch. You can still join the waitlist and get notified when the course drops on May 25th.
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Don't Let The Important Become Urgent

Covey’s Quadrants

Living Life in Quadrant 2

Your Weekly AHA!

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