05/13/2026
The following is something I actually wrote in 2020. I chuckle every year because it seems to circle back around right about when I’m feeling the same way, each spring.
Please read this and give it a bit of consideration. I use this filter daily to survive the mounds of things for which I am responsible. It’s how I organize my boundaries, and how I know how to create expectations. If you’ve ever found my priorities to not be aligned with yours, this is probably why.
“PSA: I'm about to get cranky.
When I was at Parelli, many moons ago (Okay, I think more realistically it was a decade...) we were presented with the following model. Now, say what you will about the 7 Habits, Corporate efficiency training, or even the Parelli Professionals training model. Whatever. This metric is one I still use all the time.
And that being said, I am exhausted with the "I am a 10/10 on the importance scale" mentality of the society we live in, as a whole. Guess what; we used to have to make phone calls, leave messages, send letters, and W-A-I-T for feedback and response. If I don't return your call within 12 hours, it's NEVER personal. If I've "seen" your private message and don't respond for 9 hours, its because I have something more pressing that needs to be seen...like, now. And if, when asked, I tell you why my time is being eaten on something else, I'm not making s**t up. Our lives are brimming with crazy right now. All of us. Not just me. But your desire for instant gratification is just not something that moves you into the "Urgent, Important" column.
2020 is a house cleaning year. I work my ass off in all my relationships to make time for what's urgent, and important. I value every person that crosses my threshold, personally and professionally. But we all have the same 24 hours, and quite frankly, the more butthurt you behave about how I prioritize mine, the less inclined I am to work with you to accommodate yours.
I've said it before a half a dozen times, and I'll say it again. Talk to me. Ask questions. Communicate. But be realistic with yourself; is this a 10/10, urgent/important? Or do you just want it to be because you're being impatient?”
