Trailhead Thoughts
“Don’t confuse activity with productivity. One is noise, the other is music.”
- Jim Rohn
Trail Map - Learn. Think. Act. ™
Urgent Isn’t the Same as Important.
📚Learn
The Eisenhower Matrix is a 2×2 decision-making and time management tool that categorizes tasks into four quadrants:
Urgent and Important: Do it now! Critical tasks, emergencies.
Not Urgent and Important: Plan for it. Long-term goals, strategic work.
Urgent and Not Important: Delegate it. Tasks that can be assigned to others.
Not Urgent and Not Important: Eliminate it. These are time-wasting activities.
Spending more time in the Important but Not Urgent quadrant leads to better long-term success.
Going to break the 4th wall a bit here. This is Mike - this is where I want to spend the majority of my time. The important/not urgent stuff that will move things forward. These are the things that typically get deprioritized because we justify “urgent work”. Yet, these are the things that ultimately move the dial. They have the biggest impact over the long term.
🤔Think
Do you spend too much time reacting to urgent tasks rather than focusing on what truly matters?
Are there tasks in your day that could be delegated or eliminated?
How can you prioritize long-term impact over immediate urgency?
💪 Act
Audit Your Week: List your tasks and categorize them into the matrix.
Eliminate Distractions: Identify activities that don’t add value.
Schedule Time for Important Tasks: Block time on your calendar for long-term goals.
Delegate Wisely: Free up time by assigning tasks to the right people.
What’s one task you can delegate or eliminate today?
Beyond the Trailhead
Not Everything’s a Fire (Even if it Feels Like One)
If you work in revenue, odds are your day starts in “urgent” mode and never really stops. I’ve been there, we’ve been there, you may be there.
The customer wanted it yesterday.
Leadership wants numbers by EOD
CS is flagging something “real quick.”
Inbox? Overflowing.
The knock of slack? Let’s not even talk about those notifications.
Most urgency isn’t actually urgent. It’s just someone else’s anxiety showing up as a calendar invite. Their lack of planning is not your emergency. (and let’s be honest, your lack of planning is not someone else’s emergency)
Sure, there are real fires. But most of what’s labeled as ASAP is just a preference wearing a panic hat.
When you live in constant response mode, it feels productive. You’re busy. You’re doing the things. But busy just isn’t the same as valuable.
Assumption to Challenge:
“If I’m responsive, I’m doing a good job.”
When responsiveness becomes your default, you’re the one in disguise. What looks like “being a team player” is often just reactivity in a leadership costume.
Your job isn’t to do everything fast. It’s to do the right things consistently.
Use the Matrix to Your Advantage
Here’s a simple way to get your time back. It’s not sexy, but it works.
Eisenhower Matrix
Urgent & Important: Do it now.
Not Urgent & Important: Schedule it.
Urgent & Not Important: Delegate it.
Not Urgent & Not Important: Eliminate it.
The catch? Every “yes” you give costs something.
When you say yes to that quick ping or last-minute meeting, what’s quietly getting a “no?”
For a lot of leaders, here’s what gets pushed aside:
Pipeline building
Deal strategy
Account planning
Fixing that process that keeps breaking
Yep, it’s the “Important, Not Urgent” stuff that gets pushed aside. The exact work that creates real progress.
Easiest Thing to Try This Week
Block two 30-minute sessions next week called Important, Not Urgent. Pick the time you’re least likely to get ambushed. Protect that time like it’s a customer call. Not moveable. Not optional.
Then, when urgency knocks, try this default reply:
“Got it. What happens if this waits until (date/time)?”
And if it can’t wait, ask:
“What should I deprioritize to make room?”
That one-two punch does three things:
Forces clarity (is it actually urgent?)
Reveals tradeoffs (what’s the cost?)
Keeps your priorities from getting hijacked
Reflection Question:
What “urgent” thing keeps showing up that you could delegate or eliminate entirely?
Unfortunately, urgency will always find you.
The questions is, will you meet it with clarity or just faster motion?
You don’t need more hours. You need better filters.
Start there. That’s better leadership.
Voices from the Trail
Meet
Marcus Chan
Marcus Chan is the founder of Venli Consulting Group and a top sales coach known for transforming underperforming teams into high-performing machines. With a background that spans individual sales excellence and large-scale team leadership, Marcus brings a laser focus to diagnosing the real problems behind poor sales results—and solving them with intention, systems, and deep-rooted discipline.
Listen to this episode on Spotify
Hitting the Trail
Are you in charge of planning a company offsite or leadership retreat? Bring in a speaker who won’t only inspire, but will equip and spark action within your team. Mike helps teams turn ideas into execution through clarity, communication, and actionable frameworks.
Whether you want to reset strategy or build momentum, Mike’s sessions are designed to spark alignment and drive results.
Click here for more information.
Announcements
Figuring it Out: Work, People & What Comes Next
February 25th. Old Town Scottsdale. Free to attend
This in-person event is for anyone navigating the “what now?” season of work. Whether they are job hunting, starting a new role, or realizing their current one isn’t the right fit.
We’ll cover how to:
Land a job (or leave one)
Deal with leadership dynamics
Build real connections at work
Handle expectations without burning out
If you’re in that phase, we’d love to see you there.
And if you’re not, but know someone who is, please share this with them. It might be the thing they didn’t know they needed.
That’s it for this week.
Protect your priorities, question the “fires” that show up, and keep making steady moves.
We’d love if you would share this with someone who is ready to build their sprints for the new year.
The Find My Catalyst Team