BONUS: The Difference Between Urgent and Important (And Why It Matters for Your Sanity)

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The Difference Between Urgent and Important (And Why It Matters for Your Sanity)

Feeling constantly behind and reactive in your business? This episode reveals why your brain prioritizes urgent over important and gives you the exact framework to focus on what actually builds your business instead of just keeping you busy.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why urgent tasks hijack your brain and make you feel productive when you're actually just reactive
• The crucial difference between other people's priorities (urgent) and your priorities (important)
• The four-quadrant framework that separates genuine crises from manufactured urgency
• How to protect time for important but not urgent work that actually grows your business
• Real client example: 40% revenue increase while working 25% fewer hours
• Practical boundaries to stop urgent but unimportant tasks from consuming your day

Perfect for: Overwhelmed entrepreneurs who feel constantly reactive and want to focus on building their business strategically instead of just putting out fires.

Episode Highlights: "Urgent rarely equals important, and important rarely feels urgent." "When you constantly respond to urgent, you're essentially letting other people run your business."

Resources mentioned: The Reality Check Method framework

Stop being employed by your business and start building the business you actually want by mastering this crucial distinction.

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Connect with Cindy Gordon - Reality Check Method Coach for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs:

• Website: ExclusivelyCindy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelycindy/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindygordon

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The reason you feel behind andreactive in your business isn't
because you are bad at timemanagement.
It's because you are trained torespond to urgent instead of
focusing on important learningto distinguish between these two
could be the difference betweenbuilding a business that owns
you versus one that serves you.
Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, thecreator of the Reality Check

(00:21):
Method, and a business coach foroverwhelmed entrepreneurs.
Welcome to The OverwhelmedEntrepreneur Podcast and welcome
to the Overwhelm to Action Week.
We are building on yesterday'sfoundation of what to focus on
by diving deeper into businessdistinctions every business
owner needs to master thedifference between urgent and

(00:42):
important.
If you've ever felt like you'reconstantly putting out fires
instead of building yourbusiness strategically, this
episode will change how youapproach every single day.
Here's what happens to mostoverwhelmed entrepreneurs.
Your day starts with a goodintention, maybe a plan, but
within an hour you areresponding to urgent emails,

(01:02):
handling crisis situations, andjumping from one fire to the
next.
By the end of the day, you areexhausted, but you feel like you
actually didn't accomplishanything meaningful.
If this sounds familiar, you arenot alone.
I see this constantly with thewomen I work with.
They're incredibly busy.
They're working long hours andstaying on top of everything

(01:24):
that feels urgent, but they'renot making real progress on the
things that would actually growtheir business or create the
life that they want.
The problem isn't that you'relazy or unfocused.
The problem is that our brains.
Are wired to prioritize urgentover important, and our culture
has trained us to believe thatresponding quickly to everything

(01:45):
makes us productive.
But here's the reality, checkurgent rarely equals important
and important, rarely feelsurgent.
Your brain treats urgent taskslike mini emergencies.
When something feels urgent,your nervous system releases
stress hormones that create asense of urgency and focus.

(02:06):
This feels productive in themoment, but it's actually
hijacking your ability to thinkstrategically about what really
matters.
Important tasks.
On the other hand, don't triggerthe same stress response.
Building relationships, creatingsystems, and planning for the
future or taking care of yourhealth.
These are all things that arecrucial for long-term success,

(02:29):
but they rarely feel urgent.
They get pushed aside forwhatever is screaming the
loudest.
Here's what entrepreneurs don'trealize.
Urgent tasks are usually aboutother people's priorities.
While important tasks are aboutyour priorities, when you
constantly respond to theurgent, you're essentially

(02:50):
letting other people run yourbusiness and your life.
Here's a simple test that willtransform how you approach every
task that comes your way.
When something feels urgent, askyourself two questions.
Is this actually urgent or doesit just feel that way and will
this actually move my businessforward?
Or does it just make me feelbusy most of the things that

(03:12):
feel urgent aren't actuallyurgent.
They are just loud and the mosttruly important work for your
business doesn't feel urgent atall.
It feels optional, which isexactly why it gets pushed to
the side, the secret.
Successful entrepreneurs know isthat urgent tasks are usually
other people's priorities, whileimportant tasks are your own.

(03:34):
So when you're constantlyresponding to urgent, you are
essentially letting other peoplerun your business.
Here's how to practically applythis framework to protect your
sanity and actually build yourbusiness.
Start each morning by askingyourself, what are the one to
three most important things thatI could accomplish today that
would move my business forward?
these, Go on your importantlist.

(03:56):
Then, as tasks and requests comeyour way throughout the day,
pause and ask, is this actuallyurgent or does it just feel
urgent?
Is this actually important or isit just loud?
Most things that feel urgent canwait at least a few hours, and
many can even wait untiltomorrow.
Create boundaries around urgent,but unimportant tasks.

(04:18):
Set specific times to checkemail instead of responding
immediately.
Establish response timeexpectations with clients.
Not everything needs an instantreply.
Use phrases like, let me checkmy calendar and get back to you
to create space between therequest and your response.
Most importantly, protect yourtime for important but not

(04:39):
urgent work.
This is where your real businessgrowth happens, but it requires
you to be proactive instead ofreactive.
Here's what I want you toremember from this episode.
Urgent will always feel moreimportant than it actually is,
and important will always feelless urgent than it should.
Your job as an entrepreneurisn't to respond to everything

(05:02):
quickly, it's to focus on whatactually matters.
When everything feels urgent,it's your cue to pause and
reality check what's actuallyimportant because when you are
constantly reactive, you are notbuilding a business.
You are being employed by yourown business.
The entrepreneurs who buildsustainable, profitable

(05:22):
businesses that serve theirlives instead of consuming them
are the ones who master thisdistinction.
They protect time for importantwork, create boundaries around
urgent requests, and rememberthat their priorities matter
more than other people'surgencies.
This framework fordistinguishing urgent from
important is the core of myreality check.

(05:42):
Method because when you canactually see what deserves your
attention, you stop beingoverwhelmed by other people's
priorities and you startbuilding the business that you
actually want you just need tostart choosing important over
urgent one decision at a time.
And remember, you've got this.
Thanks for spending these fewminutes with me today.

(06:04):
Remember, overwhelm isn'tpermanent.
It's simply your brain's way ofsaying pause and take a little
reality check.
If this was helpful, you'll lovemy weekly email tips where I
share the systems that keep meand hundreds of other
entrepreneurs on Track Link inthe show notes.
If you got value in today'sepisode, please share it with
another entrepreneur who needsthat reminder.

(06:25):
If you're loving the show, I'dbe so grateful if you could
leave me a quick review.
It helps other overwhelmedentrepreneurs find us.
Make sure you hit subscribe soyou never miss your weekly dose
of clarity.
For more resources and toconnect with me, visit
exclusively cindy.com.
Until next time, remember you'vegot this.