This is Important

The long awaited weekend beckons. Friday's here! 

While we celebrate the day of Frig, it's worth noting that today is also 'Take a Walk Outdoors Day'. I know, I know, we can't believe that's a thing too, either. But, mad props to the folks that planned this day to fall on January 20th? Maybe one of our friends from down under...brrr.

It works for us though. We're not thinking of pulling a Forrest Gump and walking 15,000 miles, we just want to hit the reset button on our bodies, power wash our brains, and clear out the dust bunnies from our hair. 

Taking time out for yourself is something you gotta do everyday and happens to be what Sam's chiming in on for us today.

In 1989, Stephen Covey distinguished between important vs. urgent in his best-seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. You know, the one that tells us what to do right now, and what can wait until tomorrow. 😅

Remember last Friday when I was dishing about work and family? I started treating them like they were the most important clients in my life, even though I didn't truly understand what that meant at the time.

Fast forward a bit, my company roped in some hotshot performance consultants to boost our productivity. One session was all about the book that everyone was reading. It claimed to have the secret sauce to becoming the poster child for happy, rainmaking, ultra-achievers.

But let's be real, nothing in life is one-size-fits-all, and this isn't meant to be either. But I did pick up a few great things from that training. What resonated with me the most? Defining what's important.

Time is the most precious commodity we own. It's like toilet paper during a pandemic, it's always running out and you can never have enough of it.

So, naturally, I was keen on mastering the art of time management. That's where the four quadrant magic came in real handy. Playing Tetris with my to-do list helped me understand:

Other things? My passions like surfing, woodworking, peanut butter, gardening, building software, peanut butter, westerns, and who could forget, 🌮🌮!

At work? Improving my skills, strategic planning, team-building, networking, passing on Legos, learning, blah blah blah.

My really simple litmus test? Does it make me go 🤓, 😃, or 😐.

The truth is, most of us get it wrong. We're too caught up in all the urgent $#!t and forget about the important. No doubt, we have to make time for some of those immediate needs at home, work, and life. Just remember, urgency—by its very nature—is powered by an infinite supply of systemically-embedded joy sucking 💩 that'll never stop coming.

So, what if we gave most of our time to the things that yield long-term benefits? The things that improve or evolve over time, but seldom change. Just imagine what we could achieve.

Because, at the end of the day, we don't want to be the ones who put out all the fires, but never built the house.