It is amazing to me how often the urgent in life overwhelms the important. I want to prioritize other things first. Then something urgent comes up and now my plans for the day are shipwrecked.

Have you ever had this happen to your day…or week…or month? There is something really important to you, or maybe someone really important to you. Previously, you have decided THIS will be your priority. Then something urgent crashes in, reprioritizing your life without your permission.

Sometimes this happens so much, eventually it becomes difficult to tell which is which. What is important? What is urgent? You do not know. Then urgent replaces itself as also important. Previously important things go to the bottom of the list. Suddenly, your whole life is urgent.

It does not have to be this way. You have a choice. You can choose to put the important over the urgent.

This does not mean we can avoid the urgent. Many times we cannot. This is what makes it hard. We can place boundaries on the urgent of life, though.

“I’m going to deal with you this afternoon…or tomorrow…or next week.”

“This is really important, but tonight I’m going to enjoy time with my family. Tomorrow I’ll deal with it.”

“I have a morning ritual of important activities that are a priority for my life and work. I’ll respond to your email after those are complete.”

Decide today that the important are going to take the top priority in your life. Dethrone one urgent thing today. Decide when you will address it or if you can actually not address it ever. Yes, sometimes you can decide something is not urgent or even necessary at all. Delete.

Make a list of 5 important things in your life. What if those were actually first for you? What if the urgent got addressed, but without sacrificing the important in your life? Perhaps you would not be overwhelmed as much. Maybe you would stop feeling burned out.

You get to decide. Go make it happen.