How good are you at telling people no?
The vast majority of people spend most of their time doing things that are not important, but are urgent.
Urgent activities are those that are pressing and usually require immediate attention.
The consequences of not dealing with urgent activities are usually fairly immediate and usually are not long lasting.
The other thing with urgent activities is that more often than not, they are associated with the achievement of someone else’s goals.
Important activities on the other hand lead to the achievement of your goals. They are activities that are in line with the things you truly value.
Former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower said:
“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”
The key is to spend as much time as possible on the important. Go through your to-do list and throw out everything that’s trivial and prioritize what you have left. You’ll find that you have more time and energy to focus on what’s truly important to you.
Time is one thing we all have a limited supply of. The good news though is that it’s your life and you get to decide how to use the time you are given.
Learn to smile while saying no. Knowing that by saying no to something urgent but unimportant you are saying yes to more meaningful and important things.
You only get one shot at this life. Before you know it, this day, this month, and this year will be over and gone forever.
Focus on the important. Too much is at stake not to!
– Robert
