“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Yesterday, in my Slack career community, we were talking about the challenges of making time for all of your most important tasks and activities. It seems like something always creeps into your day and derails your plans.

Before you know it, the day has gone by, and you haven’t accomplished what you thought you would. There are a few strategies for protecting your time and focusing on what matters most.

One of your first steps can be to put all of your activities into an Eisenhower Decision Matrix. Determine how urgent and vital each task is.

1. Urgent and Important Tasks need your prompt attention, of course (e.g., finishing your tax return)

2. Not Urgent but Important Tasks deserve your attention, but we tend to put them off and sacrifice them (e.g., investing in your career)

3. Urgent and Not Important Tasks are the usual firefighting activities that we should learn to avoid or delegate (e.g., a …