(Cont'd)

According to a study done by the Covey Institute, people spend 29% of their time on what’s urgent & important. About 50% percent of their time is spent on things that are not important, divided about equally between the urgent and not urgent. (Does it appall you that so much time is spent on unimportant issues?)

The smallest amount of time, only 21%, is spent on what’s important but not urgent. Yet, this is where the seeds for meaningful results are planted. In this quadrant, we are cultivating relationships, looking strategically at work and life and investing in our own desired futures.

When you are otherwise consumed by busy-work or crises, you can’t steer the ship of your life toward ports that are enticing and rewarding. You end up frustrated, tired and perhaps even regretful.

I bring this up now in the context of determining how your year will turn out, to encourage you to assess where you are and shift your attention to what matters to you. I have just scheduled a strategic planning day for myself (Monday, October 9).

It is blocked out on my calendar. On that day, I will not answer the phone, not respond to emails and will use the Strategic Planning Toolkit to envision, assess and plan my future. Having a clear picture of what that future will help me focus on what needs to get done during the rest of this year and help ensure my attention is directed toward meaningful activities that will yield the most fruitful results. I invite you to do the same.