Use This Compass to Tell if a Task is Urgent or Important
In three previous blog posts, I’ve …
- Suggested procrastination can be done right;
- Encouraged readers to cut their to-do lists down to size; and
- Asked if your to-do list answers three key questions.
In all three posts, I’ve hinted at prioritising important tasks.
But it can be difficult knowing what’s important and what’s not. So, I use this compass to tell if a task is urgent or important.
Urgent tasks often reflect others’ expectations and demands
Urgency rules the workday in most office environments
— Linenberger, 2010
We need to pay attention to urgent tasks.
They often have due dates and consequences for not completing them on time, especially when they come from people in authority.
Keep your “must complete today” list small. Don’t confuse it with your “important to me” list.
Important tasks often reflect your values
Values are the qualities we want to bring to our actions on an ongoing basis (Harris, 2012; Luoma et al., 2017). They describe our heart’s deepest desires of what we want to do and how we want to behave, including:
- What we care deeply about;
- What sort of person we want to be;
- What we want to stand for in life, and
- How we want to treat ourselves, others and the world around us (Harris, 2013).
Like a compass, they guide us, give us direction and keep us on track (Harris, 2011).
An example: my personal and professional values
I have used Russ Harris’ values checklist to describe how I express my personal and professional values as a counsellor.
My personal values
- Accepting: I am open to and accepting of myself, others, life etc.;
- Authenticity: I am genuine, real, and true to myself;
- Challenge: I keep challenging myself to grow, learn and improve;
- Connection: I engage fully in whatever I am doing, and I am fully present with others;
- Curiosity: I am open-minded and interested in exploring and discovering;
- Kindness: I am kind, compassionate, considerate, nurturing and caring toward myself and others;
- Patience: I am calm and tolerant when waiting for what I want; and
- Self-awareness: I am aware of my thoughts, feelings, and actions.
My professional values
- Caring: I take care of myself, others and the environment we are in;
- Cooperation: I cooperate and collaborate with others;
- Equality: I treat others as equal to myself;
- Freedom: I live how I want to and help others do likewise;
- Honesty: I am honest, truthful, and sincere with myself and others;
- Respect: I treat myself and others with genuine care and consideration;
- Responsibility: I act responsibly and am accountable for what I do; and
- Safety: I secure, protect and ensure the safety of myself and others.
I combine these values with my worldview. They help me choose my important tasks.