"Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant."
Stephen Covey
Author: First Things First
Any of the following sound familiar?
"I want to spend quality time with you, but I have to work. I have this deadline and it needs to get done. I know that you understand the situation."
I can't seem to find the time to exercise. I know it's important, but after 10 hour days I simply don't have the energy for it. Maybe when it gets slower."
Today's society has progressed to the point where in some work environments unless you operate with urgency addiction you are negatively judged. You are seen as a slacker not willing to pay the price for success and not committed to the cause. However it can also be a way that we feel exhilarated and useful. If it gets strong enough we get addicted to the perpetual motion and being busy becomes the goal.
In fact, being urgently busy has become a status symbol. For some strange reason we have consciously or unconsciously linked busyness with importance. If you are not busy how could you possibly be important? Yes I am an offender like many of you reading this article of being in perpetual motion and ALWAYS being busy - with many looming deadlines.
So what do we do about? Well first let's establish if you really have an urgency addiction challenge or not. If you do not have an urgency issue and generally focus on the important things, than odds are that you know someone who has some level of urgency addiction so this information can serve them.
The following questions are not meant to be a scientific survey but are intended to give you an idea if you are letting urgency addiction run your life. Answer these questions on a continuum from 1 to 10 where 1 is Strongly Disagree to 10 is Strongly Agree.
__ _1. I feel restless when I'm not at work or disconnected from the office.
___ 2. I only do my best work when I am under pressure.
___ 3. When I am working on one project I am often preoccupied about another.
___ 4. I give up quality time with important individuals to handle something urgent.
___ 5. I rarely take a break and often work through lunch.
___ 6. I feel guilty when I am taking time off or relaxing.
___ 7. I am always on a time crunch, rushing from one urgency to another.
___ 8. The adrenaline rush from a new urgent crisis is more satisfying than the steady accomplishment of longer term results.
____ Total
Obviously the higher the score the more you have an urgency mind-set or operational frame-work. If your total score is less than 40 you have a low urgency mind-set, 41- 60 strong urgency mind-set, 61+ the possibility of urgency addiction exists for you.
In real life it is impossible to have everything be in the calm, peaceful and important category. However the point to this process is for us each to be aware of where do we primarily operate from. Do we only thrive and operate from crisis to crisis or do we have a value driven life based on what's important. The difference is if we are always and constantly putting out fires it's pretty difficult to implement any fire prevention techniques or strategies.
For some individuals being intense is their natural predisposition but we need to make the distinction between preference and have too. Addiction infers an uncontrollable behavior or way of acting - that is rarely if ever healthy. So the question is are your controlling your life or is your life controlling you? In the end our life is our responsibility and a reflection of our own thoughts, actions and behaviors.
So how do we shift from the urgent, to the important? The challenge that we face with most important items which are non-urgent - is just that they are not urgent. They are activated with your input not the other way around where urgent items are demanding your attention now!
If you ever think that someday you will be able to do what you really want to do, this is a hint of a required shift for you. Personally, I admit to having too much urgency included in my lifestyle and work but I also have an objective and plan that I am working towards that will reduce this condition.
First are you crystal clear about what is important in your life? And out of this list of important items in your life - what is not getting enough attention? Where are urgency items consistently taking way from the important in your life?
One simple example is email and spam. We become addicted to responding immediately to everything versus planning out and selecting our responses. I recently added a spam filter to my email saving me at least 15 minutes a day cleaning up this stuff. I also setup a time to respond to email rather than every 5 minutes being interrupted by another apparent urgency.
I just ask you to take notice from your responses to the mini survey where you are with this potential addiction. Then step by step work your way through focusing more on the important and less on the urgent.
Decreasing the Tyranny of the Urgent
1. Acknowledge that a life built solely on the adrenaline rush of urgency is not healthy.
2. Respond to the survey questions in this article to establish your potential level of urgency addiction.
3. Based on your responses to the questions determine how the tyranny of the urgent is affecting your life and decisions?
4. In your mind or on a piece of paper establish a list of the things, peoples and items that are most important to you.
5. Now compare your important list mentally or visually to your actions and behaviors. Do they match up? If not why not?
6. Take ownership and responsibility for your condition. Even if you have an urgency based job like a firefighter this increases the need that your issues of importance are included and planned for off line.
7. Be brutally honest about the urgent items you can ditch, avoid or remove.
8. Give yourself permission to have a time of transition. Don't feel guilt or have urgency about reducing your urgency addiction!
9. In the end, it's your opinion and peace of mind that matters. No one can, on your behalf, can tell you the best, balance for you.
10. Above all be honest about your situation there is no personal benefit from misleading yourself.
Until next time, keepLiving On Purpose.
