Urgent vs. Important: Do You Know the Difference?

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower cited J. Roscoe Miller, president of Northwestern University, in a well-known speech: "I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent."Sometimes known as the “Eisenhower Principle,” this distinction can help you identify the kinds of decisions you’re facing and how to approach them. It’s often set up as a four-part matrix, with important and unimportant across the top, and urgent and not urgent down the side.“Important” things are those that can help us reach our goals, whatever they are. These goals may be ongoing professional or personal endeavors. “Urgent” often refers to things that require immediate attention, and often have more to do with other people’s goals.Knowing the difference can help you prioritize the decisions you face and know how to approach them more effectively.

Urgent, Important

These issues have the highest priority. You may have seen these problems coming, such as an important deadline, or they may be unexpected issues that have cropped up without warning, such as a broken assembly line or an abrupt resignation. Careful planning can help you prepare for these situations, but it’s also important to leave flexibility in any timeline to be ready for unforeseen consequences or crises that may come up.

Important, Not Urgent

These activities include planning time and goal-setting for both your personal and professional life, education, time spent with your family, and free time that you use for recreation. Important and not urgent are certainly more flexible than important and urgent issues, and, because you can decide when to do them, they are often put off.  But they shouldn’t be put off indefinitely.  More time spent on important but not urgent activities, such as planning and prevention, can reduce the amount of time spent on unexpected, and often stressful, emergency activities.

Urgent, Not Important

These priorities are often more focused on other people’s or departments’ goals, and can interrupt you when you’re working on your important tasks. They can come in the form of calls, emails or someone visiting you in your office unexpectedly. It can be a challenge to balance urgent and important tasks with urgent and unimportant work; take time periodically to review whether most of your work hours are spent on tasks that help you reach your goals, or that help others reach theirs.

Not Urgent, Not Important

These low-priority activities often take up time with little payoff in the pursuit of your goals. They may include watching TV or browsing the Internet without a purpose, for example. They may sometimes blur into recreational activities, but if you find yourself spending a lot of time on them and not achieving your goals, it may be time to change your habits.Need help determining the difference between urgent and important? Contact us to learn about our leadership development and coaching offerings.Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.