Believe me, three or four times a week, my dad would ask me the SAME question over and over again…
“Hector, will you be working on the urgent or the important?”
“I know dad,” and I would repeat one of his favorite quotes:
“Today I will be in control, and I won’t let the urgent take over what’s important.”
“Alright!” He would say with a tone of satisfaction. “And remember to write those priorities down, don’t lose focus!”
“Yes dad… yes, I got it!” I would answer with a tone of annoyance.
My father was always worried about how he used his time, and I get it — it’s very easy to let the urgencies of life take over — and we will NEVER take care of what’s important.
Now, what should you do to make progress everyday?
Avoid working like a “firefighter,” continuously solving only the urgent — and focus on the important, that’s how you’ll make progress, and very commonly, the urgent takes care of itself.