Time is a precious resource. As we grow into our roles as leaders and innovators, time becomes the thing of which we seem to have the least. Where we used to be able to occasionally get lost in a project for days, now it seems like we’re lucky to be able to dedicate a few hours to solve a problem. Thankfully we can thoughtfully grow our teams to be able to handle the minutiae that we find ourselves unable to get around to, but there is still going to be a seemingly endless demand for our time.
As much as some of us may want to, we physically cannot do everything that a growing team demands of us. There will often come times when we will me made to triage the requests that pull at us from all directions. When these situations arise, a good leader will ask themselves two questions:
- Is it urgent?
- Is it important?
By applying these two simple questions to the items that fill up our to-do lists, we have the opportunity to order everything in a manner that keeps us at our most productive. Essentially, we can break up all the items on our list into four different buckets that go in order of importance. The things in the first bucket should get done first, and only then should we address the things in lesser containers.
Urgent/Important
This is your first bucket. The things on your list that are marked urgent and important demand your unique skillset in order to get accomplished. Maybe these are high level decisions that only you as a leader can make, or perhaps it is something time-sensitive that will have a decisive impact on the organization. Whatever it is, the things in this quadrant should always take precedent.
Not Urgent/Important
For your second bucket, write down the things that will demand your attention in the near future but are not necessarily pressing. There is a sneaky danger with this category, and that is that if we feel it’s not urgent, we sometimes don’t assign it the time it will need in the future, causing it to sneak up on us when it finds itself in the first urgent/important category. Set a deadline for these objectives, and stick to it. When your deadlines feel important on their own, you’re more likely to pay the requisite attention to them in their due time.
Urgent/Not Important
This category is the perfect place to learn to become a master of delegation. You’re building a team to take care of the work you can’t or shouldn’t do. Allow the team to do their jobs. This category is also a perfect way to build confidence in your proteges. The ability to work well under pressure is a necessary skill, and this is a low-stakes way to build that muscle.
Not Urgent/Not Important
For this section, the most important thing to remember is that not everything needs to get done. If you happen to have some time? Great. If not, that’s fine too. Remember that sometimes efficiency means getting rid of dead weight.
When we know and can identify the most pressing and important items on our to-do list, we become better leaders by default.