NFIB

Is It Urgent?
04/ 03/ 2002


Time allocation is perhaps the most vital aspect of business effectiveness. No business will become or remain successful unless the 24 hours in a day (or the8-12 hours in a normal business day) are most effectively utilized. In today's Workshop, contributor Jeffrey Moses discusses one key factor that can help you decide what's most important at any given moment.

* There is often a distinct difference between what is "urgent" and what is "important." Urgent items are usually time sensitive, and they often are accompanied by employees or other associates urging you to take care of them ASAP. But these items may not, at any specific moment, be the most "important" activity that you could undertake for the success of your business.

* Most small business owners and employees find themselves spending day after day involved in "putting out fires." These immediate issues may always seem urgent, but they can prevent you from getting around to less urgent but potentially more important work.

* For instance, an employee may have a report that is due by the end of the day to an immediate superior or even the company owner. This time pressure and the fact that the report is for a superior makes the item "urgent." But suppose that while the employee is working on one of these urgent reports, some information they have been waiting for becomes available -- perhaps information pertaining to along-range project that ultimately could prove highly profitable for the company. In this case, the employee should consider taking some time away from the preparation of the "urgent" report to look into the "important" information.

* Some things are both urgent and important. These, clearly, are the activities that should be undertaken first. For example, if the report you're working on is due at the end of the day, and it's meant to be sent out to a potential customer that could bring an enormous account to the company, that clearly is both urgent and important.

* Some activities may be important but seem far from urgent. Examples of these are long-term planning, employee relations, planning for upcoming financial needs or situations, etc. Even though not urgent, these activities may be the key to ongoing profitability, and therefore cannot be overlooked. To make sure that you and your key employees have time(or take the time) to maintain long-term important activities, time must be allotted. Successful companies encourage the regular scheduling of time for "important" but not "urgent" activities. Paying adequate attention to these issues will prove invaluable over the long run.

* Keep track of the urgent/important ratio in your business. If most of your activities are urgent, it could mean that there is an element of panic running through your company, and you might need to take a closer look to see why your operations are this way. On the other hand, if almost all of your activities are important but not urgent, it might mean that your business lacks drive. In that case, you might need to shake things up once in a while.

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