The Short Answer

What Is the Difference?

Urgent tasks demand attention right away. Important tasks move the business toward its long-term goals. The Eisenhower Matrix sorts tasks by both, so you can see what to do, schedule, hand off, or drop.

Everything Feels Urgent?

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In Plain English

Loud vs. What Actually Matters

Urgent means it is loud. Important means it matters.

Some tasks are both. Some are neither. The ones that get skipped are usually important but quiet, like the pricing review or the training plan that never makes it onto the calendar.

A Real-World Example

The Property Manager Who Never Finished the Renewals

Illustrative example

The owner of a property management company in Charleston, South Carolina spends every morning on tenant calls. The lease renewals, worth far more to the business, never get finished. (If you are planning a real estate business, this pattern is worth planning around early.)

She sorts her tasks by urgent and important. Routine tenant calls go to her assistant during the first hour. Renewals move to the top of her morning. Within a month, the renewal backlog is gone.

From Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest

Startup Steve’s Four Squares

Startup Steve swung into the Lone Oak carrying a bowl of banana pudding and three exciting new ideas.

“A juice stand, a hat shop, and a traveling barber cart,” he said, all in one breath. “This one’s the one!”

Doctor Owl took a spoonful of pudding. “And the barbershop lease? It is due at the First Bank of the Forest on Friday.”

Steve froze. He had forgotten.

Doctor Owl drew four squares on a scroll. The lease went in the top corner, the one marked do it now. The three new ideas went in the bottom corner, the one marked drop it, for now. Steve signed the lease Thursday afternoon, with a day to spare.

Just one of many stories from Book 1 of Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series.

Dr. Paul’s Insight

Dr. Paul’s tip: important and not urgent is where the business grows. If nothing on your list lives there, nothing is likely to change.

Put It to Work

The Urgent vs. Important Matrix

Urgent and important

Do it nowThe barbershop lease renewal due Friday.

Important, not urgent

Schedule itPricing review, training plan, the owner’s planning hour.

Urgent, not important

Hand it offMost phone calls and routine requests.

Neither

Drop itShiny new ideas with no plan behind them.

The top-right box is where the business grows. Block time for it before the week fills up.

Watch Out

Pitfalls When Sorting Urgent From Important

Watch OutTreating every request as urgent

When everything is urgent, nothing gets your best attention.

Watch OutNever scheduling important, non-urgent work

If it never goes on the calendar, it never happens.

Watch OutLetting others set your priorities

Someone else’s urgent request is not always your important task.

Watch OutDoing easy tasks first to feel productive

Crossing off small things can hide that the big one did not move.

Why It Matters

Benefits of Sorting Urgent From Important

  • A clearer first task every morning
  • Less firefighting
  • Growth work is more likely to happen
  • Less stress

In Your Business Plan

How Urgent vs. Important Shows Up in a Business Plan

Lenders tend to watch for missed deadlines on leases, licenses, and loan reports. Showing how priorities are set and calendared builds confidence.

Sample plan excerpt: Operating Plan, Quarterly Priorities

“Each quarter, management sets three priorities tied to the plan’s milestones. Lease renewals and loan reporting are calendared at least 30 days before their due dates.”

Keep Learning

Related Lessons

Chapter 4How to Prioritize Work GlossarySmall Business Management Glossary GuideSmall Business Management: 20 Foundations TermHow Business Owners Use Time Blocking TermProactive vs. Reactive Management TermWhat Is a Milestone in a Business Plan?

FAQ

Questions Owners Ask About Urgent and Important Tasks

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
It is a simple grid that sorts tasks by two questions: is it urgent, and is it important? That gives four boxes: do it now, schedule it, hand it off, or drop it. It is named after President Dwight Eisenhower and was made popular by Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
How do I decide what is important?
Ask whether the task moves you toward a goal in your plan, protects revenue or customers, or prevents a bigger problem later. If it does none of those, it is probably not important, no matter how loud it feels.
What should I do with tasks that are neither urgent nor important?
Drop them, or park them on a someday list you review once a month. Many owners find a surprising amount of their week goes to tasks in this box.

More From the Series

Keep Building Your Business

Every book in Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series teaches one subject through short stories, real terms, and one-page worksheets.

Strategy for Small Businesses book coverBook 6Strategy for Small BusinessesGet it on Amazon → Operations for Small Businesses book coverBook 3Operations for Small BusinessesGet it on Amazon → Accounting and Finance for Small Businesses book coverBook 2Accounting and Finance for Small BusinessesGet it on Amazon →

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA

Dr. Paul is a business consultant and author with 14+ years of experience and 1,000+ written business plans. He works with owner-run small businesses on plans, financial projections, and the systems that let a business run without the owner doing everything. This page is part of the glossary for Management and Leadership for Small Businesses, Book 1 of Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series.

This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal or other professional advice. For decisions about your own business, consult a qualified professional.