• image.alt
  • With Mayo Clinic oncologist

    Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

    read biography
The Mayo Clinic Diet Book, learn more

Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now
  • Stress blog

  • Aug. 12, 2010

    Priorities: Don't ignore the important but not urgent

    By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

7 comments posted

While thumbing through a magazine in an airport, I came across an interesting take on the traditional to-do list. Most folks keep such a list on a smart phone, a piece of paper or just in their brains. Most often the list includes fairly mundane items, such as "get gas" and "buy groceries." More organized people may even have slightly longer term tasks on their lists, such as:

Need more help?

If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
    1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Go to the nearest hospital or emergency room
  • Call your physician, health provider or clergy
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness
    www.nami.org
    1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
  • Renew driver's license
  • Schedule annual dental checkup
  • Pay off credit card

But the article I read suggested taking an even longer view and creating another to-do list focused on your future goals and what you need to do to accomplish them.

Examples of items on this list might include the following:

  • Update resume for a possible job search
  • Register online for a course to expand skills
  • Visit a financial planner

This second list was new to me and a good reminder of the need to focus not only on what's urgent but also on what's important. Obviously, you can't skip the day-to-day stuff, like taking the cat to the vet, but neither can you neglect long-term planning for your own wellbeing.

How do you prioritize the "must do's" and still keep your future in your sights?

7 comments posted

blog index
MY01409 Aug. 12, 2010

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Print
  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger