The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People · Stephen R. Covey

Important vs urgent examples

Curated by · reviewed 2026-05-31

Important-vs-urgent is the trap where what feels urgent crowds out what's actually important — and the important, un-urgent work keeps getting postponed. Examples:

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5 examples of important vs urgent

  1. Email vs the big project

    Pinging email feels urgent, so the strategic project that matters most quietly waits.

  2. The ringing phone

    We answer the urgent ring and abandon the important deep task mid-thought.

  3. Exercise and health

    Rarely urgent, deeply important — which is why it's the first thing to slip.

  4. The overdue conversation

    The important talk keeps losing to the urgent errand.

  5. The Eisenhower habit

    Asking 'is this important, or just urgent?' is how you stop firefighting and start building.

How to spot it in yourself

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