And a good Wednesday morning to you!

In Atlanta, the azaleas are blooming and the pollen is EVERYWHERE. Hope your allergies aren't giving you too much trouble...

Whether you're still working or already retired, you're juggling a lot of different roles, responsibilities, a never-ending to-do list, and much more.

One way to take a sip from the firehose of decisions and things we need to do is to utilize a decision making tool.

Perhaps something like the Eisenhower Matrix (not the first time I've referred to this in my weekly newsletter).

If we think about the dimensions of the Eisenhower Matrix - what's urgent relative to what's important - it can serve as a helpful filter through which to consider what lies ahead of us each day.

This idea, along with a recent email I received from a colleague, got me thinking of the dynamic between important and urgent in our financial lives...

For instance, the US tax filing deadline is less than a week away.

Your taxes, especially this time of year, are something I'd consider both important and urgent.

Other urgent and important items in our financial lives:

• Taking your Required Minimum Distributions by the end of the calendar year
• Showing up for work each day so you can continue to earn an income
• Enrolling in Medicare by your 65th birthday
• Paying your bills on time

But what are some examples of activities that are important but not urgent?

These might include:

• Getting your estate planning done (or updated)
• Exercising and eating right to reduce health costs in the future
• Self-improvement and learning to keep your mind sharp
• Creating and implementing a personal financial plan
• Teaching your kids (or grandkids) about money

And since we'll skip things that are neither important nor urgent (you should skip these too), that leaves not important but urgent. Things like:

• Getting too wrapped up in the news cycle, including financial news
• Watching what the markets (and your accounts) are doing every day
• Hunting for the next undiscovered gem of an investment
• "Hacking" your credit cards to maximize travel or other points
• Upending your entire banking setup to chase another 0.10% interest rate on your savings

I'm sure you can think of many other things to add to any of the lists above.

I know I can.

But here's the thing...

What's important to me, might not be important to you.

Or what's urgent to you might not even register for your best friend.

Which is another way of saying, "don't measure your life with someone else's ruler!"

Also, words like "important" and "urgent" aren't very concrete.

They're not black or white.

And this, my friends, introduces our feeling and emotions into the mix.

Something might feel urgent or it might feel important, but you'll have to be the judge on whether or not it is or isn't.

It might "feel" urgent to know what the investment markets are doing each day (or each hour), but I'd challenge you to consider whether that's actually the case.

Remember that tools like the Eisenhower Matrix are just that... tools.

They're not perfect. And they leave a lot up to interpretation.

For instance, I would argue that something you might consider important but not urgent is in fact urgent...

Because of the important role of time (and compounding) in many financial matters, the sooner you get started on some things means the easier things will be for you later on down the line.

I think there's a lot more here we could explore, and I invite you to reply with any of your own thoughts or comments around the concepts of "important" and "urgent" when it comes to your financial life.

Just remember that it's your life and you're the one responsible for deciding what's important and what's urgent (or not) in your own life.

Links & Things

While my latest blog post is written with widows in mind, many of the concepts will apply to anyone considering whether or not to downsize their home:

• Widows, is it time to downsize?

I've had several of you ask me in recent conversations whether or not you can pass these weekly emails along to friends and family?

Absolutely!

Of course!

Please share with anyone you think might find them helpful.