An entrepreneur’s to-do list never ends!

Important vs urgent

My six-year-old is obsessed with time.  What time is it now?  How many minutes until we get there?  How many minutes will be there?  The questions go on and on!

 

As we’re growing up, others dictate how we spend our time.  Even when we work a 9-5 others are dictating our time and how to use it.

 

Those of us in the entrepreneurial space must decide, “How can I use my time most effectively?”

 

There is no RIGHT answer.  It’s so different for all of us.  That’s the problem but also the amazing thing about being a business owner!  We get to decide if we want to stop work at 3:00 to pick up the kids.  Or work during the evenings so we can volunteer the next morning.  Our lives and what we spend our time on are our own creations!

 

When we own our own business, everything can feel urgent.  The emails that need responses.  The work that needs to be done.  All the things.  We can easily confuse urgent and important.

 

So let’s talk about urgent vs important.

 

Urgent- needs immediate attention.

 

Important- items that will affect long-term goals and your strategy (I’m assuming you have those)!

 

Another way to break it down is that urgent tasks create a reaction.  You want to create an answer right away or send a response.

 

Important tasks give us time for strategy.  This can be a hard lesson to learn!  I am speaking from experience right now.  This time of year is super busy for me!  It’s so hard to see the task list that needs to be done, the reports that need to be reviewed, the W9 forms that need to be requested.

 

And instead?  I show up for networking meetings.  I focus on creating a new website.  I’m working with my team to implement new processes that will build a foundation as we grow.

 

Do I see immediate results?  No I don’t.  And that is hard!  It’s so much easier to respond to urgent work and check things off the list.  But that’s not what I’m here for.  I’m here to build a business that I’ll be SOOOO proud of in 1, 5, 10 years!  A business that supports other women and I get to pay them for their amazing services!  A business where I support other entrepreneurs and help them build THEIR best business.  Whatever that looks like to them.

 

Now I’m always asking myself, “Is it urgent or important?”  before I sit down and spend time on it.

 

It’s so easy to get swept away.  Let’s use our time wisely.

 

If you have a hard time focusing on your business because, well let’s be honest, life can get in the way.  Message me and we can talk about how we can put the focus back on your business every month.  We can talk numbers every month, strategy/projections, budget, paying yourself.  All those amazing things that get pushed to the side.  I’d love to chat with you!

 

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