“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
I have a to do list and whenever I find myself getting distracted or doing something that seems important but is not on my to do list, I write it down on my to do list, so that my to do list becomes a combination of “to do” items and “doing” items and that helps me realize what I’m spending my time on and makes me think about how important it is. How did this item that wasn’t on my to do list at the beginning of the day wiggle its way into my day? I also do this with my calendar. I block off time to do what’s important but then record what I’m actually spending my time on (when it’s different), to see what I’m actually spending my time on.
Is the urgent taking over the important?