Covey 4998, FAL gue ‘THE URGENCY ADDICTION 39 Sut yRGENCY of us realize how powesully urgency affects our choices. The (rings The baby nes Someone knocks at the door A deadline proaches EL nce this now” “mina jam, can you come tight ver?” 2: The Urgency Addiction omsemt(tigles a Soue late fr your appointment. cone cesar the ncaa [Hw much does urgency contra your lifer We'd ike to suggest that iapeae can Epa afew moments and look at some ofthe attitudes and behav rs that grow ot fit a reflected inthe Urgency Index on the follow Tine page. The degre to which you sole tothe statements in the tex wl give you some idea ofthe extent to which you may be look Tingat life through a paradign of urgency As you read each statement, the number onthe continu tates dserbes you response “ter going tough the Index, add up your total sete 2nd measure [AS we begin thi chapter, take a moment to consider your answer " oul ith the follwing key the fllowing questions: 0-25 Low wrgency mindset 26-48. Strong gency mine-set 464 Urgency action What's the one actity that you know if you ct superDy wel sttonty wes have sieeve rests or © Tkamot of yur esponses ate onthe low end, the urgeney paradigm 4 probably not significant factor in your life. they're inthe middle “ortoward the higher end, there's 2 good chance ugency is your funda- Unental operational pradign If your responses ate consistently high, nj may be more han ut the way you se. may atually bean tt ogy ae yuk 0 dip el consistnty weld have siicat poste veut n sional or work life? me '¥you know these things would make suoh a signicant i ‘ty are you not dong them now? As yon consider your response, le's lok atthe two primary fi IEURGENCY ADDICTION tun at dive ot ts Contin owe tn ar ee : and importance. Although we deal with both factors, one of i the base pari through which we vew our time snd ‘The fourth generation ie based on the “importance” he “importance” paradigm, Knowing and doing what's important rather than simply respond ‘to-what’sugent is foundational to potting ist things fest ‘Ae ong though this chapel ako 0 ean you on paradigms carefully Whether you'e operating fom a paradigan of fey or one of inportanee ha profound effet onthe sls you's feting in your life cme of gts sed tothe aderline rsh of handing crs hat econ dependent ont fora sense af exctement ndenergy How lie rgency el Ses Mesure Tene Echaustng Se. Bat Bats beret es als sometimes exhilarating, We et wehl We Bet ccenfl We fc alate. And we get ood att. Whenever tes ruble, we into tov, pal ooo shone do the vr i in, low the sch fhe go bare nd ident he net ie het ngs instant ests an sta riestion. Me gta tempor hgh fom whine upent and mpotant rss cn te importance srt bee Ee gency eso powetl‘The Urnency index® THEURGENGY ADDICTION 35 ink th te gh ain tat ln pont seem bhavin rates ead the ate Unto sNowr 2-Sometrnen 4a) et dan to do anything agent, ust to stayin motion, People pes to be bu, everwoned s brome a ats pels Eiet—il wee buy wee important fee ot ay, weal Ernbarased toa it Bogner whee we get or scunty ifs Hating poplar and pling Its ao» god excae fortes eng sh th fit things nour les. 1. seem to do my bot ork when Tn unde preste 2. often lame the rsh and press f extemal things or my ale to ape deep intonpecive ime with sl Stee oo cee 5. rm otten fretted bythe ones of sop and things this deactne. t's urgent. Ofcourse you understand. soond me: ate to wt or and se i “Ijust don’t have tine to exercise. know I's important, but there {a7 50 many pressing things right row. Maybo when tings slow down are." 4 el gity when I ake tine of wor 5. aly seem tobe ashing betwen places and events Urgency addition isa self-destructive behavior that temporary fils the void created by unmet needs. And instead of meeting these ‘eed, the tools and approaches of time management often fed the adicton, They kep us focused on daily pronation ofthe urgent ‘Aaiction to urgency is every bit at dangerous as other comneniy econize dependencies. The following lit of characteristics comes ‘out of recovery literature not even connected with ime management 1 deals primarily wth addition to such things a+ chemical sub- stances, gambling, and overeating, But lok atthe srl!" 6.4 4eequeoty find mys pushing poop away so tat Tan faarlepop 7 fal sious when Fm out of touch wth the office for one ere 4.1m often prcocupied with one thing when doing sia gran ‘9. at my best when rm Banding iss station 10. The aienaline ns roms newex seems more sting tome than the steady accomplishment of lng rele The Addictive Experience 1, Gases prdiable, ele sensatons 2 Recmer the pia Fc and shor atenion 4. Temporary estes pan snd oc epve 4 roves artifical semse of leat, pone cont, seciity tina, cml 5, Buse the robles kgs i sought fo 1. Loten give up gut time with important people nny ie tolendea cick 12. Lane people wil atrly understand i ave to Aeapoit them elt thing: goin order to handle 3 ci 13. eon ting sme ess to gve my dey a sere of meaning and purpose 6: Wes fn oof ath 14 often et lonch or other mea whe wok sanctioning, cate ot of atinips 15. hee thinking that someday Tl be able todo wht I ely vant td. How well these characteristics describe uagency addition! And our ‘ciety is literally inundated with it. Everywhere we turn, urgeney a 16. Ab tion is reinfored in ou ves and in out eure tack ny “ut” basket at the end ofthe day mes ike Fe relly Been podactive36 ARSTTAINGS FRST THE URGENCY ADDICTION 37 Roger: At one of our programs, I just gone through the Ungeny Index with a oup of senior executes fom a multinational fm. At the break, the senior manager fram Austala came upto me wth 2 ‘ay smile on his face. “I ean" believe i" he exclaimed. “I am ab. ‘Solel addicted! Is the whole culture of our business. We lve from Gfsis to ess. Noting ever gets dane unl someoody Says K's Ur sort" ’2s he was speaking, the number two man in his operation came un beside him and node his head in agreement. They joked about their tution for a minute, but thaijoking had 2 serous undertone. Then the senior manager tured to mo and said, “You know, when this man joned our company, he wasnt that way. But now hol oo." His eyes opened wide with sucdenrealzaton. “You know what™ ne asked. “I'm rot only an adict—'m a pusher!” In onder to focus on the itsues of gency and importance more ef sl t's look tthe Time Management Mais below. As you ean fer bestogorizes our activites into four quadrants, We spend time in Tove ofthese four ways: Urgent Not Urgent ‘Terentia Lier deiteation tmetigs, prepa iti ung poco il IV les important to eaize that urgency eli nt the problem. The problem is that when uigeney i the deinant factor in our hives, ite portance isn't, What we regad as “fist things” are urgent things Were so caught up in doing, we dont even stop to ask if what we te doing really needs tobe done. As a result, we exacerbate the gap be- ete sone | "ria Wh teen the compass and the clock. As Chares Hummel observes in his hone Py tt et bool, pany of the Urgent + Somtmalsome ens] Tae mare moe neg Ear cn ta goes tel Tho important tack rarely myst be dane today, or even this week. «The urgent ak cals for Instant ation... The momentary ap ‘eal of those tasks seems iesistible and important, and they de ‘our our energy. But inthe light of time's perspective, their deceptive ‘prominence fades; with @ sense of oss we recall the val task we Dashed aside, We realize we've become slaves to the (yanry ofthe gent? Not Important Quadrant | represents things that are both “urgent” and “impor ~ tank” Here's where we handle an rate client, meet a deadline, repaic a Droken-down machine, undergo hear surgery. of help a crying child who has been hurt. We need ta spend time in Quadkant 1, This is = Where we manage, where we produce, where we bring our experience “ind judgment to bea in responding to many needs and challenges. If ‘ne ignore it, we become buried alive. But we azo need to realize that Inany important activites become urgent through proctastnation, or Deeause we dort do enough prevention and planning CGuiadrant TT includes activities that are “important, but not ur ent” Thies the Quadrant of Quality Here's where we do out long " fange planning, anticipate and prevent problems, empower others, Drosden our mands and increase our sills though seading and contin: ‘tous profesionsl development, envision how were going to help 2 Many of the traditional time management tool actually feed the addiction. Daly planning and “todo” hts estentally eep us focused ‘on prioitizing and doing the urgent. And the mere urgeney we have ours the less importance we have. IMPORTANCE ‘Many important thing that contribute to our overall objectives and {ve richness and meaning tlife dont tend to at pan usr pres us Because they're not “urgent.” they are the things that we must act ‘upon‘THE URGENCY ADDICTION 39 38° ARSTTHINGS AST stapling son or daughter, prepare for important meetings ape. ‘hingy—maybe even “int things"—ae not resiving your time and snc degre feo mend pa i ape tne eel ei Mi in hh gti et ei he toring this quart foe and elags Osadart cating sen Brmoat nd decor ces for the person consuned by On the othe hand investing hs quadrant snk QeadrantL.Planning. prepsation, and prevention Seep many things rom coming urgent QuarantTi docs not at ons ne mist atone The he Gad ‘tof pron ede. ‘Quant Il salon the phantom of Quacant 1. inde things that ar “ore, to important “This the Quant of Deception. The noe of gen ects the asin of importance But the acta sett they pertant alae onl sport tosomeane ese Many pon ily esting, and eepsn ater al ito thr etegony We sends to ine in Gund Il meting ther people's pricy and expectation, thang wee well i Ouse What Is the ene act that you know if you da superby wei and ‘onsistenty would have signicant postive resuits in your personal ite? What isthe one activity that you know if ou di super wel and onsistenty would have significant postive resus in your profes ‘Slonal or work ite? ‘aly what quadrant yur anowers ae in, Our gues is that thee probaly in Quadrant IL Ar weve asked these questions of Hows of prope we find that a gest soy of them ll under serene actin rat Vis eed thw nites hat nat wp and ieee dott Tan he oan af Wan Of ome 8 ea i eoeearset Cee ehe sae eres eraranrie Send avd a Duns nd if btw ates eye Conk ee SSUIV for eave: What Ly of ty a Cun Re Nex eee eee secs ection ngs bes ation inte te ese of tortion rable Qeaton Tac Bat easing alte Ihave, baal watchinginlen” lero th ogo png around the wate fmt a thee wuld uly sr od tet NV te vate, Quatre Votre Scere le Bap have tp tail enton iat Wak er uly Hr auf aopae aes nothing thee. Trtably Because thee oct wrpent. They aren't pressing, They Wed et nyse no tht yo leak a he Tne Manage Me gO, bert hye at Mat and hat Sct ne he pa west our you See Baer each of your ln eats Liles in oe of ee gua ‘here wkd yu yep fry of pa ine? hick cxtey yn onde Qenots and Ty 1 ay to (hint Besse mcttgis eget imprene Aguek we oe ferentat between hes to quant toate yoe ifthe urgent sity contre to anima eject Inet rok igen Qua Tye ie mort ofthe pope we work wt, thee’ good tances spent the mj your nem dans nT Shad tats le cnt Mtge ing owt inprtat 6. Penal development 7, Empowerment Al ofthese are in Quadeant IL They important: Sorwhy ane people dog them? Why an you dang the things “THE IMPORTANCE PARADIGM Cen del wih bt facto agen and inportanee—n out lve Borin om cay-ovdey decom making, one of thee fact Acs to dept The plan snes wt we eae pity From apni of upeny rather than paradigm of impatance. ‘When we operat ot ofthe importance aad, we rein Quad sats and Wee out of Quits nd and as we spe tes tne in preparation, prevention, lang, and empowerment40° ARSTTHINGS AST wwe decrease the amount of time we spend putting out fies in Quad Fant I ven the natu of Quint changes. Most of the time, we'e there by choice rather than default. We may even choose to make fomething igen o timely because i's important ‘An atsocite shared this experience: ‘Recent one of my tends wes gong trough a crisis in her rele tionship. | was extremely busy with home and work, but was manag Ing to keep on tp of things and maintain my personal renewal time, ‘One day n particular, ! was scheduled for tivee meetings, some car ‘sore, shopping. and an impertant lunch date when she ceed. 1 ‘neu immediatly that she was having 2 relly rough day and quickly ‘decided to shotve my otter acthites and make the hour dv to her ‘home. knew that my nextday would be heat in Quadrant | ctvites because there were thins I vant going to be ablo to 3 today i ‘reparation. But this was important, very important. I chose to place Inyset ina postion where | would ve with urgency, but was a dc ‘sion | cout fee good about. Inout seminars, we often ak people to identify the Feelings they as- seciate withthe different paradigms. When they talk about urgency, they typically use words such as "stresed out,” “used up,” “unful fle," and “wor ot.” But when they talk about importance they use word like “confident” “fulfilled,” “on track,” “meaningful” and ™ peaceful” You might ty thie exercze youre, How do yo fel when rating from one paradigm or the ater? These fecings can tel you ‘lot about the soure ofthe rerults you're getting in your fe, (QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK ABOUT THE MATRIX [Now we know that ral if ie not at neat and tight and lagi a the four quadrants would suggest. There's a continuum within and be- tween each quadrant. There's ye overlapping, The categorie area matter of degre a wells bind ‘Below are some commen questions people ask about the matrix: + Among all tho urgent and important things that face us, show do wo know what to do? This he diem that fills our lies. Its what leads ur to feel we need to hunker down and do more, faster But almost always, there is one thing among all the ‘others that should be done fist Ina sense there Quadrant I of THE URGENCY ADDICTION 44 (Quadiant or Quadrant of Quant Il How we decide what's nor impotant at any given time is one ofthe primary issues well ‘hes inthe following chapters of this book. + Is I bad to be in Quadrant 1 No, i's not In fact, many peo ple wl spenda significant amount of thei time in Quadkant |. The Fe sue is why you're there. Are you in Quadrant I based on us- gency ot importance? If uigeney dominstes, when importance fides, you ip into Quadrant Ili’ the wgency addiction. But if yout in Quadrant I because of importance, when urgency fades you'll move to Quadrant Il Both Quadrant | and Quadrant Il de Serb what's important; ts only the tne fator that changes. The real problem is when you'e spending time in Quadants Il and IV. + Where do | get tho time to spend In Quadrant 11 f you're Tooking for time to spend in Quadrant HI, Quadrant Il is th pri- mary place to get it Time spent in Quadrant [is both wgeat and Jmportant—we already now we need to be thete. Aad ve know we shouldn't be in Quadrant IV. But Quadrant I can fool us The ey is leaming to se all of out activites in tems of thei importance. ‘Then we're able to reclaim time lost to the deception of urgency, and spend iin Qvadeant I + What i'm n @ Quadrant | envionment? Some pelesions age, by rate, anont completely im Quadent [For example is ih ho gion ay din nd ens, pe fic, ews eprter and editors respond tothe went snd portant. Tor these people is even nore rt captine Quadrant I ime forthe simple season tht it bute capacity to handle Quad- fant Tame spent Quadrant nteases our capac tod. + te there anything in Quadrant | that doesn’t act on us and demand our attention “right now"? Some things are cnsts oF problems in the making i we dont attend to them We can core Fo make these things urgent. In alin, what may be a Quadrant activity to an onpanization, sch as long-term visioning planning, and relationship Building, may be Quadrant Ito its top executive ‘This iso her unique charge, the nee for these things is great, and the consequences of either doing these things or nat doing them ae signicant, The need for that executive 16 “now,” it's ute gent and itmust be acted on42 ARSTTHINGS RST ‘Tc value ofthe matrix is that it helps us to see how importance and urgency afet the choices we make about how to spend ur time, Ieallows us to see where we spend most of our tm and why we spend itthere. We can also se that the degre fo which ungency is dominant it ‘the depo to which importance ena (ON THE FAR SIDE OF COMPLEXITY Like chemical abuse, urgency addition isa temporay painkiller used in exces. It lives some of the acute pain caused bythe gap between ‘the compass and the clock. And the elie may feel god atthe time But it's cotton-candy satisfaction. It quickly evaporates. And the pain remain. Simply doing more faster falls to get atthe chronic causes, ‘the underlying issues, the raion forthe pain, It's doing second (or third o fourth) things faster. but doing nothing to ell sobve the <@uonic pin that eomes from not putting ist things fist "Toget atthe chronic sues equies diferent kindof thinking, t's like the difference between “prevention” and “taeatment” thinking in medicine. Treatment deals with the acute or the painful level o ‘ess prevention dcals with ifestye issues and the maintenance of Ipealth, These ae two diferent paradigms, snd even though a doctor ‘may operate out ofboth paradigns, one paradign ustalypredomi- Stephen: '¥e had physicals from doctors who operato out ofboth ‘paradigms, and they aro altogetharciffren. They're looking fr foront tings. For exarpl, I'v had doctors wo oporato primary out ‘ofthe treatment poraclgm look at my blood chamisry and report that ‘ocause the total chotesterl was less than 200, I was okay. v0 had ‘doctors with a prevention pared ook tthe blood chemistry—par ticulay the LOL/MOL otal cholestrol atio—and say that | was MOL ‘okay, that I was Ina moderate risk are, and preserve a regimen of ‘exercise, cet, and medication. “Most of ut reaize that «good percentage ofthe health problems we have are lifestyle relted. Without an extreme "wake-up call,” such a= ‘heat attack, many of us vein a rescue fantasy. We lve the way We ‘want to lve—lite or no exercise, poor nutrition, buring the care at both ends—and when we have 2 problem, we expect the medical ‘profession to pick up the pieces. While we may be able to diminish the pain with prescnptions and Band-Aid, if we'e really going, t0 THE URGENCY ADDICTION 43, make a difference, we need to go tothe undeayng root cause of the pin Weneed to attend to prevention ina profound way. “The same tue nll reas of ou lives As Over Wendell Holmes said, wouldn't give fig forthe simplicity on thi side of complet, Toul give my right arm forthe simplicity om theft side of com ples" The simplistic answers on this side of complexity do not ad- ss the full reality we're in. They may givea sense of being quick and en but ther promise i empty And most people know it I's our ex- petence that people are tired ofthe Band-Aid and aspitin offered by ‘quick-fix solutions and perenslity ethic techniques, They want to e¢- dress and resolve the chronic issues that beep them fom puting fist things ft in cei ives In the following chapter, we'd lie to go beyond the act pain of the problems we've talked about in Chapters I and 2 and into the onic, underying causes. Weld ike to move Urough the heart of ‘complexity, through the full realty that impacts our time and the ‘quality of our ives. The tree idea in Chapter 3 may challenge your ‘thinking, but we encourage you to pay the price and interact with ‘these ideas on a deep personal level. We believe they wil affirm & ‘deeper knowing that transcends you paradigms and wil empower yo twereate maps that accurately describe the tert. Out of these ideas—on the far sido of eomplesty—come the sim- ple and powesful paradigms and processes in Seaton Tivo that will ‘empower you to more effectively put fist things fst in your ie® FIRST THINGS FIRST To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy ‘Also by Steohen R. Covey ‘Te T Habits of My Efectne People Principle Contre Le STEPHEN R. COVEY ___ A. ROGER MERRILL _ REBECCA R. MERRILL a Publish SCHUSTER Wow York London Toronto Sydney Tokyo Singapore