Before It Becomes a Crisis

You’ve probably seen that diagram before—the one that breaks life into four categories:

• Not important, not urgent

• Urgent, but not important

• Important and urgent

• Important, but not urgent

It’s incredibly easy to waste time on things that are neither important nor urgent. And then there’s what I’d call the tyranny of the now—things that feel urgent but really aren’t that important.

Then you’ve got crisis mode: the stuff that is both important and urgent. The serious problems that demand your attention right now.

But the category that’s easiest to neglect—and I would argue, the most important—is this: important, but not urgent.

This is where exercise lives.

This is where investing in your marriage lives—before there’s a problem.

This is where your walk with God lives.

Your finances.

Your long-term health.

Abbi and I went to part one of a marriage conference last night, and we’re heading to part two today. Our marriage isn’t in crisis. We’re doing well. But we don’t want to wait until something is urgent to start treating it as important.

Because here’s the truth: if you neglect what’s important but not urgent, it will eventually become urgent.

And when that happens, it’s usually painful.

So here’s the question: how are you doing in that category?

Are you investing now in the things that matter most—before they demand your attention?

Just something to think about.