The Runaround Dilemma

Do you think sometimes people want more than you can give? I do. Unfortunately my workplace is not far away from users. They come and say their work is more important than the others. Imagine that ten people come like that. Which work is really important? Of course we have some procedures for ordering works. But users do not want to understand. They just want their works to be done. In this case managers should be clear and decisive.

We should aware of which works are really important. All important works are not urgent. We must separate works into two dimensions. Importance and urgency. Then we can find which works to do and which works not to do. Avoid not important and not urgent works. Do urgent and important works first. Plan important and not urgent works. And lastly delegate not important but urgent works.

THE RUNAROUND DILEMMA

• Because we don’t know what is really important to us, everything seems important.
• Because everything seems important, we have to do everything.
• Other people, unfortunately, see us as doing everything, so they expect us to do everything.
• Doing everything keeps us so busy, we don’t have time to think about what is really important to us.

          (Source: Franklin Covey Company - Focus document)

• important adj 1: of much import, carrying with it serious consequences; weighty, momentous, grave, and significant
• urgent adj 1: pressing, compelling; calling for or demanding immediate action; anything characterized by urgency

          (Source: Oxford English Dictionary)

 The idea of importance & urgency matrix comes from Franklin Covey Company. I saw the four quadrant shape then i decided to share with you.