Do you find yourself getting caught up in the urgency of day-to-day tasks and deprioritizing what is important to you in the long term? You are not alone! Let me share a story about one of my mentees (I will call him Pedro!), with whom I worked as part of Google's G2G mentorship program.
Pedro, an Account Manager based in Dublin, had dreams of pursuing a career in product marketing, but he found himself trapped in a never-ending cycle of urgent demands passed on by his manager and more senior counterparts. He spent his days putting out fires (or rather, situations that were perceived to be fires by others) and handling immediate requests, leaving little time for personal growth and the pursuit of his long-term aspirations.
Unfortunately, Pedro's story is not uncommon. Many of us fall into the trap of prioritizing urgent tasks over important ones. Urgent tasks demand our immediate attention, often driven by external factors or the expectations of others. However, it is the important tasks that are the ones that align with our long-term goals, personal development, and well-being.
A SOLUTION...
To break free from this cycle, Pedro and I categorized his tasks and priorities using the Urgent versus Important matrix framework (also known as Eisenhower Matrix), popularized by productivity expert Stephen Covey.
The matrix consists of four quadrants:
Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important: The first quadrant represents tasks that are both urgent and important. These are the critical, time-sensitive activities that demand our immediate attention, such as deadlines, crises, and pressing issues. It's crucial to address these tasks promptly to prevent negative consequences. However, constantly dwelling in this quadrant can lead to stress, burnout, and a perpetual state of firefighting
Quadrant 2: Important but Not Urgent: Quadrant 2 is where the magic happens! This quadrant encompasses tasks that are important but not necessarily urgent. These activities contribute to our long-term goals, personal growth, and overall well-being. Examples include career aspirations, strategic planning, skill development, relationship-building, and self-care. Unfortunately, these tasks often take a back seat to the immediate demands of Quadrant 1 (and often also Quadrant 3). However, neglecting Quadrant 2 can lead to missed opportunities and a lack of progress in the long run. To share an example, I used to deliver a training titled Time Effectiveness Strategies at Google where we asked the participants to fill out the Eisenhower Matrix with their tasks and priorities - about 95% of the participants put their Career and Personal Development Plan (PDP) in this quadrant. Just like Pedro, they knew it was the most important thing for them but they kept pushing it away and delaying taking action on it, because they had other more 'pressing matters' that needed their attention. As these 'pressing matters' became never-ending, they found themselves less motivated and happy at work and at home, leading to a perpetual circle of dissatisfaction.
Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important: The third quadrant is filled with tasks that appear urgent but, upon closer examination, are not truly important. These are often distractions, interruptions, or requests from others that don't align with our goals and values. It's crucial to be discerning in this quadrant and delegate or minimize these tasks as much as possible to focus on what truly matters. What is important to do is to question the tasks that are put in Quadrant 1 to make sure they don't in fact belong to Quadrant 3, as these tasks tend to be disguised as important (when they are in fact NOT) and sneak into Quadrant 1.
Quadrant 4: Not Urgent and Not Important: The final quadrant consists of tasks that are neither urgent nor important. These are time-wasters, trivial activities, and distractions that offer little value or impact (think aimlessly scrolling on social media) It's essential to eliminate or limit time spent in this quadrant to free up valuable resources for more meaningful endeavors.
UNDERSTANDING THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND IT ALL...
The Urgent-Important Matrix offers profound insights into our decision-making processes and sheds light on the psychological factors at play, in that it highlights our tendency to gravitate towards tasks that provide immediate gratification or those that demand our attention due to external pressures. This concept aligns with the psychological phenomenon known as "present bias" or "hyperbolic discounting," where we place greater value on immediate rewards, often neglecting the long-term benefits of pursuing our aspirations.
When faced with a task or decision, our brains often prioritize the sense of accomplishment, relief, or validation that comes from completing something quickly or meeting an urgent deadline. This sense of immediate reward provides a psychological boost and reinforces the behavior of prioritizing urgent tasks.
Moreover, external pressures and expectations play a significant role in our decision-making process. When tasks are labeled as urgent, there is a perceived external demand for our immediate attention and action. This pressure can influence our sense of importance and elevate the urgency of a task, even if it may not align with our long-term goals.
Recognizing the presence of present bias and understanding the psychological factors at play is crucial in breaking free from this cycle. By consciously acknowledging our tendency to prioritize immediate rewards and external pressures, we can reevaluate our decision-making process and make more intentional choices.
STRATEGIES FOR BREAKING FREE AND EMBRACING QUADRANT 2...
So, how can we effectively manage our time and give priority to important but not urgent tasks? Here are some valuable tips:
Eat the Frog First: Mark Twain famously said, "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." In other words, tackle your most challenging or important task early in the day when your energy and focus are at their peak. In general, these tend to be the ones that are the most important tasks (MITs) but that are more abstract and take longer to complete e.g. personal development plans, career planning, business plans and financial projections. By eating these FROGs first, you'll create momentum and a sense of accomplishment that can propel you forward.
Plan and Schedule in Calendar: Take the time to plan your day, week, and even month. Set clear goals and identify the important tasks that align with those goals. Prioritize these tasks and allocate dedicated time for them by scheduling them in your calendar. Make sure you make your calendar visible to other team members, if you are working with a team so they know not to demand that time slot from you unless a real crisis happens. Remember, what gets scheduled gets done!
Practice Saying "No": Establish boundaries and learn to say "no" to tasks that do not align with your priorities. Evaluate requests carefully and consider their impact on your long-term goals before committing. For example, asking questions like "What is the agenda of this meeting?" or "Do we need to block an hour for this meeting, or can we cover it in 20 minutes?" helps avoid unnecessary meetings and frees up time for more important activities.
Delegate and Automate: Don't be afraid to delegate tasks that others can handle. Delegation frees up your time for more important activities. Additionally, leverage technology and automation tools to streamline repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on high-value activities.
Timeboxing/Time Blocking: One effective technique for managing your time and giving priority to important tasks is timeboxing or time blocking. This method involves setting aside specific blocks of time for different activities or tasks. By allocating dedicated time slots for important tasks, you create a structured framework that helps you stay focused and ensures that these tasks receive the attention they deserve. For example, you can block off two hours each morning for working on your coding interview preparation, during which you eliminate distractions and solely focus on the task at hand.
LEVERAGING TECH TOOLS AND APPS:
Here are a few of the many tools and applications available to help optimize your time and boost productivity.
Focusmate.com: Focusmate pairs you with an accountability partner virtually, allowing you to work alongside someone who shares similar goals. This virtual co-working experience can provide the structure and motivation needed to tackle important tasks.
Calendly.com: Calendly is a scheduling tool that simplifies the process by allowing others to book time with you based on your availability. By sharing your personalized scheduling link, you can eliminate the back-and-forth email exchanges and effortlessly manage your calendar.
Todoist.com: Todoist is a popular choice for task management and organization as it enables you to create to-do lists, set due dates, and prioritize tasks. With features like reminders, project collaboration, and integrations with other apps, Todoist keeps you organized and focused on what matters most.
Rescuetime.com: Rescuetime is a time-tracking tool that provides insights into how you spend your time on digital devices. It tracks your activities and offers detailed reports, allowing you to identify time-wasting habits and make necessary adjustments to improve productivity.
Monday.com: Monday.com is a powerful project management and collaboration tool that helps teams streamline their workflows, stay organized, and demonstrate their ability to work as a team.
SO. WHAT ABOUT PEDRO?
Returning to Pedro's story, he embarked on a year-long journey to prioritize his goals and embrace Quadrant 2 activities. He mapped out his long-term career aspirations, identified the necessary steps to achieve them, and divided them into short-term (such as volunteering his time with the marketing organization by participating in 20% projects, doing research on the product marketing organization and roles and what would fit his profile/interests), near-term (such as completing a product marketing course on Coursera, coffee chatting to people in the roles he would be interested in), and longer-term actions (such as, applying for roles of interest, making the transition). He employed time blocking, scheduling specific hours each week for skill development, industry research, and personal brand building. By creating dedicated blocks of time, Pedro broke free from the never-ending urgency of day-to-day tasks and prioritized what truly mattered to him.
As Pedro delved deeper into Quadrant 2 activities, he began to see remarkable changes in his professional life. His increased focus on product marketing led him to attend industry conferences and network with professionals in the field. He actively sought opportunities within his company to contribute to marketing initiatives, demonstrating his dedication and passion.
In the end, Pedro's efforts did not go unnoticed. He landed a product marketing role within his organization, leveraging the skills and knowledge he had cultivated during his year long personal development journey.
Just like Pedro, we all have the power to reshape your approach to time management and prioritize what truly matters. In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh from his book titled "Work: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Each Hour of the Day"," "The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." Similarly, when we prioritize what truly matters and align our actions with our long-term aspirations, we show up for ourselves and allow ourselves to bloom and flourish both personally and professionally!
Download this FREE Navigating Career Change Workbook to explore insightful exercises and questions that will guide you in evaluating and navigating your career transition. It’s designed to help you gain clarity and confidence, ensuring you make informed decisions about your next professional steps.
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Hi! I'm Merve. 👋 I help leaders build high trust, high performance teams, grow their business impact, and advance their careers.
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