Being under pressure at work can be stressful. You have too much to do and you don’t have enough time.

Learning the difference between urgent and important is vital if you are to become more productive.

If you are one of the many thousands of us who constantly check your emails, immediately respond to every query from colleagues, clients and even friends then you can’t be concentrating on those things that are important. If something is so urgent, wouldn’t your colleague, client or friend have picked up the phone?

Right! So, we now know the emails can wait a while until the important jobs are out of the way. Some people have been known to put an out of office message saying that ‘I will next be checking my emails at 4pm this afternoon, if your email is urgent, please ring me.’ Would that work for you?

Equally, are you one of the many thousands of us who write a ‘to-do’ list every day and then pick off the ten easy ones only to wonder what you’ve really achieved – with the important stuff still outstanding?

The difference between urgent and important.

Urgent tasks:

There is demand for your immediate attention all the time – daily deadlines, answering phone calls and important texts, emails from your boss, emails from your best clients, social media messages needing a reply. All of these feel important but often some are not.

We are drawn to these tasks because they make us feel wanted and important; people want a reply from us but do they need that reply right now?.

Important tasks:

These can be less dramatic with no alarms or drama like urgent tasks. It’s easy to ignore them. But rather than someone else’s goals, important tasks contribute to your long-term goals whether these are professional or personal and could include hitting those sales figures, completing that project, getting more financially secure, and advancing your career.

If that seems like an easy distinction we’re often quick to confuse the two. If you are checking your email so often but it’s preventing you from getting in the actual work done you mistaking urgency for importance.

What you can do.

As US President Dwight Eisenhower once said – “I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”

Remember, Mayfair cares

Headaches cause a pulsing sensation or throbbing pain in the head and may be accompanied by other symptoms like vomiting, nausea, or heightened sensitivity to sound and light depending on the severity.  

Causes  

A headache may occur in one location of the head, one side, or on both sides of your head. Depending on what causes them, headaches are classified into: 

1. Primary headaches   A primary headache occurs as a result of a problem with the blood vessels, nerves, and chemicals that set off pain signals in the brain. Primary headaches are not a symptom of any underlying diseases.

Chemical activity in the brain, blood vessels or nerves in the head, and the muscles of the head can play a key role in setting off primary headaches. Some people also have genes that make them more susceptible to primary headaches. Primary headaches can also be caused by lifestyle patterns such as stress, skipping meals, poor posture, sleeping habits, among others.   The most common types of primary headaches are migraines, tension headaches, and cluster headaches.   

2. Secondary headaches   These are headaches that arise as a symptom of an underlying illness that can activate nerves in the head. Such illnesses include brain tumors, blood clots, glaucoma, dehydration, concussion, stroke, influenza, among many others.   

Types of headaches  

1. Tension headaches   These are the most common and can either be episodic or chronic. Tension headaches normally start gradually in the middle of the day and can last anywhere from a few hours up to several days. Tension headache feel like a constant, dull ache coming from both sides of your head and spreading to or from the neck.   

2. Migraines   This is probably the worst kind of headache. Migraines cause a severe pulsating, throbbing pain on one side of your head. Such pain may be accompanied by light-headedness, nausea, blurred vision, or sensory disturbances referred to as auras. Migraines can last a few hours or even go on for 2-3 days. Migraines are one of the common reasons for sick leaves.  

3. Cluster headaches    These are severe, one-sided headaches that last between 15 minutes and 3 hours. They may occur once suddenly per day or up to eight times each day for a period of weeks or longer. Cluster headaches are often described as a sharp, burning pain that typically affects the area around one eye.   

4. Rebound headaches   These arise as a result of excessive use of medication in an effort to treat headache symptoms.   

5. Thunderclap Headaches   These are severe, sudden headaches that result in unimaginable pain. They reach their maximum intensity in a minute or less and last longer than 5 minutes. They are usually as a result of other life-threatening conditions and people who experience them should seek medical attention immediately.   

Treatment of headaches  

There are many ways to deal with headaches. The most common way is by resting until the headache is gone or taking pain relief medication for quicker results. You can get such medication over the counter or from a doctor but you must always follow the instructions to avoid rebound headaches or worse complications.   

Alternative treatments 

There are other ways to treat headaches, but you need to first consult your doctor before trying them. They include:  a) acupuncture   b) nutritional and herbal health products   c) cognitive behavioural therapy   d) hypnosis  e) meditation.

Summary

Headaches can be both worrying and debilitating but there are remedies available and we would always recommend that you refer to your doctor if they persist or you have any concerns at all.

Mayfair, we care

We are rarely very far from our smartphones these days, they are as much a part a necessity everywhere we go as the clothes that we wear! As a result some very bad habits have developed. Some are thoughtless, others downright rude, several are bad for business or relationships and the most serious can be life threatening. In short, the majority of us are not so smart when it comes to mobile phone use. See which categories you fit into:

In the car

If you are the driver it is illegal in many countries to use a mobile phone whilst the car is moving. Checking social media – your emails or texts, as well as texting or talking on the phone unless you have hands-free technology endangers not only your life but the lives of others. It’s irresponsible but so many drivers flout the law.

In staff meetings with colleagues

A recent Intel survey of HR managers said that mobile phones ringing during a meeting were top of the ‘mobile irritation’ league table! Very close was the annoyance caused by having the phone on vibrate – good mobile etiquette recommends silent or off completely.

At sales pitches

Many people will put their mobiles on the table during sales pitches – this is not a great idea! This sends out the wrong signal about how serious you are about being there and first impressions count. Good mobile etiquette is for the phone to be out of sight and on silent and it’s also better for business.

On public transport

Loud and lengthy phone calls on the bus or train are known to be a massive irritant to fellow passengers. Is it really necessary to raise your voice so that everyone can hear about the importance of the deal that is just going through, or what you fancy for dinner that night? Good mobile etiquette would be a quiet brief conversation saying you will ring back when you are somewhere more private.

In restaurants with your partner

How many people have been out for the evening and looked around at tables with couples barely communicating as they gaze at their shiny smartphones and text their friends or catch up on Facebook. If you want to spend quality social time with someone perhaps it would be a better idea to leave that phone at home or in a pocket?

On Holiday

One recent American survey has recorded that we check our phones 80 (yes eighty!) times a day even on holiday! Give yourself, and your travelling companions, friends, family etc a break and leave your phone in the suitcase for use only in emergencies! You don't need it on the beach, by the pool or sightseeing........do you?!

I am probably only scratching at the surface of irritating mobile phone habits here – what are the ones that annoy you – let’s get them all out there!!

Mayfair we care.