Urgent or important? Where’s your time being devoted?

Urgent vs. Important Time Management

Most people’s time is spent on things which are urgent, like deadlines, answering emails, etc. In other words, they are being governed by time, and by someone or something outside of them.

Conversely, few people spend time of things which are important, but not urgent. These are things like learning, exercising, planning, and investing in important relationships. There is generally no deadline on these things. So they often get skipped over during the busyness of the day.

But being busy doesn’t necessarily translate to being successful. According to Tim Ferriss, “Being busy is a sign your life is out of control.” Although most people wear their busyness as a badge of honor, more often than not it reflects backwards priorities. Getting caught in the thick of thin things.

Spending your time on urgent activities is the equivalent of consuming your time. Spending your time on non-urgent but important things is the equivalent of investing your time.

Are you investing or consuming?

That is the fundamental difference between the high, middle, and lower class. In the book Sapiens, Yuval Harari explains that the world economy is based on capitalism. The wealthy people invest their money in companies that make products. The poor people spend their money consuming the products the rich people are selling.

Conclusion

Are you planting a tree or an orchard?

Either way, the amount of work you’ll spend each day won’t really differ. However, over a long enough period of time, what you plant you will harvest.

Do you consume your time or invest it? Is the work you’re doing a transaction or a long-term relationship?

If you’re willing to think and plan big, the work you’ll do on a daily basis will translate in like manner.

What will shock you most when you set things up to succeed big, is that things seemingly out of your control seem to fall into place. Indeed, it seems the very universe is conspiring to make things happen.