Skip to main content

Urgent versus Important tasks

By August 2, 2019September 19th, 2024focus on essentials, Law Practice Management

Do you want to maximize the use of your time and achieve extraordinary things?

Then you must understand the crucial difference between what’s urgent and what’s important.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower is known for having first emphasized this difference:

I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.

The “Eisenhower matrix” is a powerful decision-making tool that helps you prioritize your precious time.

The trick to using the Eisenhower matrix is to realize that most things that masquerade as “urgent” aren’t actually urgent.

And, according to Eisenhower urgent things are never important.

What he meant was: important long-range strategic goals are never urgent.

But they’re important so they need to be prioritized above all else—even matters that are (or seem) urgent.

The best way to achieve your important goals is to create habits of thinking, deciding and acting that suppress the strong tendency to reflexively prioritize urgent things over important ones.

(Also, make sure you understand the difference between efficiency and effectiveness).

General Resources

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Streamline your workflows with SweetProcess for smoother operations and less effort on your part.

The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. Try it free for 28 days at SweetProcess.com/ernie, no credit card required.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Experience top-notch virtual receptionist services with Smith.ai, catering specifically to solo and small law firms. Let Smith.ai-trained, multilingual receptionists handle calls while you focus on your work.

Plans start at $210/month for 30 calls and pricing starts at $140 for 20 chats, with overage at $7 per chat, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Use promo code ERNIE100 for an extra $100 discount. Sign up risk-free now at smith.ai.


Learn how to completely transform your practice with the Smart Lawyers Tech Guide.
Skip to content