Principle
The difference between the things we accomplish and the things we don’t often depends on where they fall on the axis of importance and urgency. Read that again. There are too often things we dream about– things we aspire to accomplish one day– that while being important to us, never seem within reach.
Have you ever asked yourself why? Why the things that you so desperately want to do often get little, if any, attention?
You might already have guessed that I’m about to talk about something called the Eisenhower Matrix. The reason we don’t accomplish what we want to do is connected to the idea that while we may see something as important, if it’s not pressing, we don’t naturally give it time. Our long term goals and the baby steps that are required to accomplish them are hardly ever urgent matters to us.
The Eisenhower Matrix attempts to combat this by approaching life & to-do lists like this:
Urgent & Important: Do it
Not Urgent & Important: Determine a specific time to do it
Urgent & Not Important (for you specifically to do): Delegate to someone else
Not Urgent & Not Important: Delete it
So, what does this have to do with you as an accountant who wants to invest in yourself & advance in your career? You know, the theme of the article?
It actually has everything to do with it.
While we can talk about the importance of habits like networking, mentorship, soft skill development, exploring the options in your field, & embracing an abundance mentality & view of life & how these traits directly correlate to career advancement & self improvement, if you never see these habits as urgent, it doesn’t naturally get done. It requires intentionality.
Accountants more than anyone know what busyness feels like – looming deadlines, long hour days, little sleep, managing clients, coordinating teams, & never ending tax returns or financial statement reviews.
In light of this type of environment, networking, mentorship, and extra learning are not urgent matters, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important.
Practice
We’ve talked about writing your goals, exploring career options, and helpful habits in previous articles, but in this article, our practice section is going to be focused on not just what but when.
So, first, what’s important to you that hasn’t felt urgent?
Is it exercise? Further learning? Getting your CPA? Reading more books? Meeting with a mentor? Exploring a different career path?
And second, when can you set aside 5 minutes of time to work towards that goal?
Determining a specific time is key to success in investing yourself and in your career.
Even if the next available time slot is after April 15, choosing a day and setting a time creates the necessity & opportunity to work towards that task. When the time comes whether it’s 5 minutes or 30 minutes or an hour, at that time, the urgent matter is the one important thing.
In the beginning stages, simply following through, shutting off your phone and removing other distractions for just a few moments, sets the tone for your new habit to build.
It’s okay to start small with time, and work on building it. Life is a culmination of the habits we create. If you create a habit of making time for things that are important to you, you will start to reap the benefits of intentionally investing in yourself & eventually, the overflow of that personal work into your professional career.