The Tyrant

Hey, I seem to have taken a mini-sabbatical from blogging (almost a week!!). Just haven’t had much to say, I guess. I wish I could say I’ve been keeping my priorities straight and therefore have kept blogging to a minimum. But, that wouldn’t be entirely true. I seem to know how to waste time in a variety of ways. I’m just gifted that way. ;) 

At a recent Bible study with some friends,  we talked about an essay written by Charles E. Hummel in 1968 called The Tyranny of the Urgent, now considered a classic (hope you take the time to read it).  I was 22 years old when I studied this as part of a Navigator’s 2:7 Series Bible Study group. It was all about the importance of making the time to do the things that are truly important in our lives. And it  has stuck with me ever since, although admittedly I haven’t always lived by its wisdom all these years!

Way back in the 70’s and 80’s, the telephone was identified as ‘among the worst offenders against our peace and complacency’. Today, well, let’s say we have a few more distractions to consider.

Our daily activities can be divided into 4 categories or quadrants:

It’s an interesting exercise to consider how we fill up our days. Which box is hardly ever touched?

Rereading this has reminded me that I often leave out the important in favor of the urgent. Primarily,  it’s the “”IMPORTANT, but not URGENT” that seems to take the back seat because it doesn’t insist on drawing attention to itself.  And it’s not really about not having enough time, but rather about a problem with priorities.  

I am not proud to say that quadrant #4 seems to be a little crowded sometimes.  Hoping that revisiting this essay will spur me to make better use of my time. 

 

Don’t let the urgent

take the place of the important in your life.

Oh, the urgent will really fight, claw, and

scream for attention.

It will plead for our time and even make us think

we’ve done the right thing

by calming our nerves.

But the tragedy of it all is this: while you and I

were putting out the fires of the urgent (an everyday affair),

the important thing was again left in a holding pattern.

And interestingly, the important is

neither noisy or demanding.

Unlike the urgent, it

patiently

and quietly

waits

for us

to realize

its

significance.

Charles. E. Hummel