Sorry… I just played a little mind-game with you. But it was for a purpose. I wonder if you quickly opened this email before doing something important because you saw the word “urgent.” The late U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

How do you discern between what is really important and what is simply urgent? It is a task with which all leaders have to deal on a daily basis.

An article on the mission.org website details what they call the Eisenhower plan for prioritizing those things that come into our lives.

1. Priority 1 tasks are both urgent and important.
2. Priority 2 tasks are important but not urgent.
3. Priority 3 tasks are urgent but not important.
4. Priority 4 tasks are neither urgent nor important.

Then the article gives a headline to show how to deal with each of these priorities.

DO Priority 1 tasks.
DECIDE Priority 2 tasks.
DELEGATE Priority 3 tasks.
DELETE Priority 4 tasks.

Many times, the urgent things come from a crisis and possibly even from poor planning on your part. The urgent things that come across your desk or to your attention can also be the result of someone else’s issues or mistakes. These “urgent” matters cloud your judgement and distract you from the things that are really important in your life.

Important tasks are made up of the things that contribute to our long-term mission, values, and goals. So, when these important tasks are interrupted by items that seem urgent, it impacts the overall mission before you. When you are called to lead toward God’s task…His calling and vision…then these things become barriers to accomplishing all the Lord has for you and your ministry.

Even as a little boy, Jesus understood what was important. You probably remember that time when Jesus’ parents were looking for him for several days after they had left Jerusalem. Young Jesus had stayed behind to talk to the leaders in the synagogue. When his parents found him, Jesus had a simple, straight-forward reply.

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”Luke 2:49 (NKJV)

Jesus’ parents felt it was urgent that he stay with them. Jesus knew the important thing was to do His Father’s business.

One more point from the mission.org article:

“If you are serious about improving your time management and productivity, take care of the most important and urgent tasks everyday first. Do them in the first 90 minutes of your workday if you can….”

Most of us are fresher in the morning and if we can take care of the important tasks early in the day, then we can deal with the urgent without disrupting God’s mission and ministry.

Now…please get back to what is important!