Day 9/365
Olabayo J. Awodirepo
(Witty_Pen)
Prioritizing “Urgent” vs. “Important” Tasks
It’s amazing how this 365-day writing challenge has become a form of therapy for me. The things I’ve been writing about have started to feel like solutions to some of my challenges, more like taking my own advice.
Recently, I realized that not everything demanding my attention actually deserves it. While also looking for how to prioritize my time, I stumbled on the Eisenhower Matrix, and it has been a game changer for me. The matrix breaks tasks into four categories:
- – Urgent and Important: Do these immediately.
- – Important but not Urgent: Schedule these.
- – Urgent but not Important: Delegate or find a quick solution.
- – Neither Urgent nor Important: Why are these even on your list?
This framework helps me pause and ask, “Am I busy for the sake of being busy, or am I being productive?” Once I find my answer, I know in which direction to channel my energy. This helps me say no to distractions disguised as priorities. I’ve started scheduling my “important but not urgent” tasks, such as this 365-day writing challenge, replying to emails and messages, and working on long-term goals. These tasks matter to me but may get overlooked without a deliberate plan.
Here is my challenge for you:
- Grab your to-do list.
- Sort out each task into one of the four boxes above.
- Let go of the ones that don’t matter.
I hope this works for you as it does for me.