#38 Was it "urgent," or was it "important"?

I spent the whole day
dealing with various things.

I replied to messages,
responded to requests,
attended meetings,
and cleared the tasks right in front of me.

Before I knew it,
the day was over.

Did I actually
"accomplish" anything today?

I would like to
break down
the true nature of busyness a little further.

In many cases, I feel that
it stems not from the volume of work,
but from a failure to
distinguish between the two.

When learning The 7 Habits together,
there is a question that makes us pause again and again.

"Urgent" and "important"
are not the same.

"Urgent" means
things that demand an immediate response.

Things that feel like they will cause trouble
if left alone,
and that make your heart race.

On the other hand, "important" things
do not cause major problems
if you don't do them right away.

However,
over a long period of time,
they are what surely shape
the quality of your life and work.

Strangely enough,
the truly important things
are quiet.

They don't have deadlines.
They don't send notifications.
Rarely does anyone urge you to do them.

That is precisely why
they keep getting put off.

At this point,
please pause for a moment.

Throughout today,
what did I spend
the most time on?

And,
what did most of that time
bring to me?

When we are being chased
by urgent things,
we get the feeling
that we are "doing things properly."

Busy.
Tired.
Active.

However,
that feeling
does not necessarily align with
whether you are truly getting closer
to what is important.

Finally,
let's return to the initial question.

What I was facing today,
was it truly
"important"?

Or,
was it simply
"urgent"?