What Needs To Get Done NOW? (2248)

When everything feels urgent, how do you know what actually deserves your time? In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan break down how top performers cut through noise, chaos, and distraction to find their “bullseye”, the one move that multiplies results. You’ll hear how they use urgency, importance, and significance to decide what matters most in business, relationships, and life. This one’s raw, real, and ridiculously useful if you’re tired of feeling busy but not better. Stop reacting to life’s noise, start hitting your targets with precision.

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Show notes:
(2:05) Defining the “bullseye” activity
(4:20) Urgent, important, and significant explained
(7:45) Redefining “eat the frog”
(10:16) The one question to ask daily
(13:00) Why understanding matters more than tactics
(16:47) Urgency Vs. Long-term payoff
(18:57) Outro

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Chapters

• 2:05 Defining the “bullseye” activity
• 4:20 Urgent, important, and significant explained
• 7:45 Redefining “eat the frog”
• 10:16 The one question to ask daily
• 13:00 Why understanding matters more than tactics
• 16:47 Urgency Vs. Long-term payoff
• 18:57 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) It's very easy to find yourself looking at your to-do list and say, yeah, you know what, I feel like I want to do that right now. (0:07) And I think we all fall into that. (0:09) And if you don't know what should be getting done right now and why that thing should be getting done, it's really easy to make that mistake.(0:16) 21st century is noisy.

Alan Lazaros

(0:17) You got texts, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn. (0:23) You got open windows into your life, 24-7, 365. (0:27) How do you choose what to do?

Kevin Palmieri

(0:29) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:31) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:33) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.(0:36) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:43) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:49) We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits, and defining your own unique version of success.

Alan Lazaros

(1:05) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:12) Welcome to Next Level University. (1:17) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,248, what needs to get done now? (1:24) This is a part two from yesterday's episode, the number one reflection from this month's masterclass, because we didn't talk about this at all.(1:32) And we said we were going to, so this is a part two. (1:34) So I'm going to kick it right to you, Alan. (1:35) The goal in today's episode is how to find the bullseye activity at all times.(1:45) So imagine you're standing in front of a dartboard, you're getting ready to throw your darts, we're aiming for the bullseye. (1:49) But if we don't know what the bullseye is, we don't know how to hit the bullseye. (1:52) So our goal in today's episode is for that to be the tangible takeaway.(1:55) When you sit down in front of your to-do list and there's a lot of shit, how do you know what to do and why do you know that's the most important thing?

Alan Lazaros

(2:02) Nice. (2:03) So for you, for an example, we want to lead by example in this to give something tangible right off the bat. (2:10) Kev's center of his bullseye, his top priority that is urgent, important, and significant, which we will define is next level podcast solutions.(2:18) Yes. (2:19) Okay. (2:19) So Kevin wakes up, he has all these things he has to get done.(2:24) How does he know what to do? (2:26) Whatever. (2:28) Now, here's the problem.(2:30) If he has a client at Next Level Podcast Solutions that needs something, there's also, let's say there's a list of 10 things you have to do today for NLPS. (2:42) How do you know which of those 10 to do first? (2:44) And so that's really what this conversation is, you can answer a few.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:49) I can answer. (2:50) I mean, I woke up today and I went to bed. (2:54) This is probably the best answer I can give you.(2:56) The night before I already am imagining what needs to get done the day of. (3:01) Nice. (3:02) So last night was Sunday.(3:04) You're listening to this on Tuesday. (3:05) We're recording on Monday. (3:06) Last night was Sunday.(3:07) Before I went to bed, I literally said, okay, I'm going to get up at this time and then this is the first thing I'm going to do. (3:12) How did you determine that? (3:14) Based on time.(3:16) Much of the things that I do are based on a very specific, this episode for this client drops every Monday at 9 a.m. That has to be done by 9 a.m. Yeah, deadlines. (3:26) It actually started, there's one client ahead who drops at 8 a.m. So I had to be done with first client by 8 a.m. so I could finish second client by 9 a.m. and that's how I did it. (3:38) So it's time-based and boundaries are huge for me.

Alan Lazaros

(3:41) For sure. (3:42) So in this framework, urgent, important, significant, what Kevin just said there is based on the time, the urgency level is higher. (3:51) Yes.(3:51) So can you give us an actual thing that you did? (3:54) Just one task. (3:55) I created three thumbnails for a client's launch today.(3:59) Perfect. (3:59) Okay. (4:00) We want to figure out those three thumbnails.(4:02) Saying yes to those three means he has to say no to everything else he could do with his time. (4:09) So how do you determine what the center of the bullseye is? (4:11) In this metaphor, the center of the bullseye is what you're doing now, but that happens all throughout the day.(4:18) Right. (4:18) So it's like a rolling now. (4:20) Okay.(4:21) Those three thumbnails were urgent, important, and significant. (4:24) I'm going to define each. (4:25) Urgent, meaning due in two hours or whatever.(4:30) Yeah? (4:31) Yeah, an hour. (4:32) When were they due?(4:33) Hour. (4:34) An hour before? (4:35) Nice.(4:37) Important, meaning this is a paying client of our most important business unit within the business. (4:43) Right? (4:44) Second most important business coaching.(4:46) I'm kidding. (4:46) It is the most important.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:47) Some would say, you know, whatever.

Alan Lazaros

(4:49) Some would say.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:50) Also, the rolling now, great band name. (4:53) I just want to throw it out there. (4:53) You said the rolling now, great band name.

Alan Lazaros

(4:57) I wonder if that lands. (5:00) Not the band name. (5:00) I could give a shit about that.(5:01) I mean the actual people out there care. (5:04) The rolling now. (5:05) So you wake up in the morning, you have a 16 hour day, assuming you sleep eight.(5:09) The rolling now is, let's say it's noon. (5:12) What are you doing at noon versus what are you doing at one versus what are you doing at two versus what are you doing at three and how do you determine all that? (5:17) Yeah.(5:18) The rolling now is prioritization in the moment. (5:21) Like right now, you and I are both recording this episode at the expense of everything else we could be doing. (5:27) Yes.(5:28) Which is why the time management thing is such a challenging thing to teach, particularly without my remarkable in front of me. (5:35) So urgent is deadline time bound. (5:38) So it's due in one hour, super urgent to get those three thumbnails done.(5:42) Super important. (5:43) One of the most important clients of the most important business unit within the company. (5:48) Yeah.(5:49) Significant. (5:50) Now this is the one that is the 3D thinking that I was talking about because most people know the Eisenhower matrix of the urgent and important quadrants and you can look that up. (6:00) This is urgent, important, significant, significant means how long is it going to pay dividends?(6:05) How long will it pay off? (6:07) Now here's the thing you don't actually know. (6:09) This client could leave tomorrow.(6:10) They could be around in 30 years. (6:12) You don't know the answer. (6:14) So you have to base this off of probability.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:17) I based it off of the thumbnail determines how well the video does in some cases, not all cases. (6:25) And I have data to look back and say, this thumbnail did this, this thumbnail did this. (6:29) So the video is doing really well.(6:30) It's outperforming right now. (6:31) That was my thought. (6:33) Maybe it's not as long of a time perspective is in theory on this person's channel.(6:40) This video could pay dividends for as long as the channel is existing.

Alan Lazaros

(6:43) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:44) In this thought process.

Alan Lazaros

(6:46) But I also want this to be tied to the individual, which is you, right? (6:49) So Kevin, his priority is making sure the client is successful in order to make the client successful. (6:56) These three thumbnails have to be great for these, for this one video, right?(7:00) Was this a split test and thumbnails? (7:02) Yeah. (7:02) Okay.(7:02) For this one video and video success means clients more successful means they stick with us longer, which makes us more successful. (7:09) This is sort of the win, win, win, win, win. (7:11) And you've determined that the thumbnail is one of the most important things within a great video.(7:15) Yes. (7:16) So you see how there's layers upon layers upon layers that we never unpack. (7:22) So if you don't understand the value of thumbnails, if you don't know how to run a business, if you don't know how to keep a high paying client happy with the services you provide, if you don't know graphic design, if you don't think about all the expertise that you have to do and know in order to choose three thumbnails, there's a lot.(7:38) No wonder why when we're in high school, we wake up and we're like, yeah, I feel like, I guess I'll eat some cereal, watch some cartoons. (7:43) Like, let me ask you a question.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:45) What do you think of the eat the frog? (7:48) Like, do you, are you somebody who thinks that the first thing you do in the morning, because you literally said for a long time, you worked out at night because you didn't want to waste your, yeah. (7:59) What are your thoughts still the same on that?(8:01) What are your thoughts?

Alan Lazaros

(8:04) So Kevin's referring to eat that frog by Brian Tracy, which is just an idea of if you have to eat a frog in a day, you don't want to wait to the end of the day to do the hardship first, do the hardship first. (8:12) Right. (8:13) I think it's merit.(8:15) I think it's a lot of merit. (8:16) I don't necessarily always do it because my brain is optimizing differently.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:24) Right. (8:25) I don't. (8:25) So what if the frog is this do later?(8:29) What if, what if the, yeah. (8:30) What if the frog is the hardest? (8:31) It's the most optimal.(8:33) Exactly. (8:33) Can we redefine it that way?

Alan Lazaros

(8:35) Well, I think eat the frog is overly simplified, meaning do the hardest thing first. (8:41) And the idea is your willpower is at its highest in the morning, assuming you actually get good sleep. (8:46) Cause if you sleep like shit, the answer is no.(8:48) Right. (8:50) But if you get great sleep, your willpower is highest in the morning. (8:54) And then usually the afternoon after you eat or whatever, depending on caffeine and stimulant timing is something I talk about all the time.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:59) But in this case, the bullseye is the frog, but that we're redefining the frog is the, from the hard thing to the most optimal thing. (9:09) Optimal thing.

Alan Lazaros

(9:10) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:10) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(9:12) Oh man. (9:12) I get stressed out in episodes like this because we have eight minutes to explain time management and time management is like a, I could do a three long, three day long seminar on it. (9:21) Nevermind, you know, do one episode on it.(9:23) But the ultimate idea here is every single person's is not only different, but also different all throughout the day. (9:34) So I lift with Amelia. (9:37) So her and I cut work at eight.(9:40) We haven't exercised yet. (9:41) We lifted yesterday. (9:42) So we're actually doing steady state cardio today.(9:44) So the frog changes throughout the day, meaning after 8 PM, the next frog is 60 minutes of exercise.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:52) Let's make it simple. (9:54) Cause we, again, we don't have a ton of time and we're not doing a three day seminar, right? (9:58) We want somebody not yet.(9:59) We want somebody to be able to leave with a new idea and a new tactic today. (10:04) When they wake up tomorrow, what are the, what is the number one question they should ask themselves in order to throw the, throw the dart and actually hit the bullseye? (10:16) What is my most important goal?(10:19) And what is the important thing that moves the needle toward it? (10:24) Okay. (10:25) So if they say the most important goal is making money today, then what?

Alan Lazaros

(10:28) Oh, okay. (10:30) Then what's the most important needle move that makes me money? (10:32) Now here's the problem.(10:33) That needle move that makes you money might be short-term money. (10:37) Right. (10:38) This podcast doesn't make us any money.(10:40) Not directly. (10:41) Right. (10:42) Right.(10:42) But not doing this episode would be the biggest L because this is the train that compounds. (10:48) So this is why it's so hard to make it simple because it's actually not simple. (10:52) And Kev, you know this, we have 20 person team.(10:55) We have our top three priorities. (10:57) We have our top three goals for every quarter. (10:58) There's 52 days left in the quarter at all times.(11:01) My engineering brain is designing and redesigning what everyone's doing and why I love the time sheets because you get to see, I did a report on everyone's time in October and it's, it's awesome to see where everyone's putting their time. (11:13) Cause I get to go, okay, Amy spent 27% of her time on group coaching in October. (11:20) That is the most profitable thing.(11:22) Amy does. (11:22) Okay, good. (11:23) We can adjust.(11:25) And I send everyone their pie chart and that kind of thing. (11:28) So I don't know if there's a simple answer other than your brain can come up with. (11:33) You have to teach your brain how to decide what's optimal and that's predicated on deeper understanding.(11:41) So for example, if you and I go into a school building, you would lead because you, and the goal, let's say Kevin and I walk into a school building. (11:53) He used to work in weatherization. (11:54) If we walk into a school building and the goal is to weatherize the building, you should lead because your brain can come up with what we should and shouldn't spend our time on better than mine could.(12:06) If we walk into a school building and the goal is to teach calculus, you should not lead because you have no fucking idea what you're doing.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:13) I'm gonna go to the weight room.

Alan Lazaros

(12:14) Yeah. (12:16) That's why expertise is such an unsung hero. (12:19) That's why I always say deeper understanding is what matters.(12:21) Cause the truth is if your brain can't calculate what to do, you don't know what to do.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:29) And so you're just uncertain all the time, which sounds scary as hell to me. (12:32) It's been there. (12:33) That's why I'm trying to get it down to a very small tactic because I think the beginning, we convince ourselves that our brain doesn't know yet.(12:42) Cause if I knew I wouldn't have to listen to the episode. (12:43) I'd know. (12:44) I'd know like this is the next logical.(12:46) This is why you think tactics are so important. (12:48) It's one of the reasons. (12:49) It's one of the reasons.(12:50) You would actually listen to things looking for an actual tactic. (12:53) If you Google five ways, I guarantee it's gonna, I mean, there's going to be billions of results. (13:00) Yeah, of course.

Alan Lazaros

(13:01) Tactics. (13:02) For me, I'm always looking for understanding and then letting my brain come up with the thing to do. (13:06) When you say tactic, you mean what to do?

Kevin Palmieri

(13:08) I mean, action. (13:09) Yeah. (13:09) Yeah.(13:10) Tactic. (13:10) Give me a, give me the action that solves. (13:12) Yeah.(13:13) There are no actions that solve. (13:16) Everything's unique to the goal and they're band-aids. (13:19) They're band-aids that allow you to dig for deeper understanding.(13:22) I think that's like, for me, I would never, what should we post on social media today? (13:27) That completely depends. (13:30) Yeah, but I can give you five pillars and then you can choose from there.(13:32) I can give you lifestyle, fitness, right? (13:36) Like I can give you containers that are somewhat tactical. (13:42) But those containers are based on built deeper understanding.(13:45) But you don't have the deeper understanding yet. (13:48) So I can give you the post about your cat today. (13:52) And here's why.(13:53) You're somebody who obviously loves animals and people are going to love that. (13:57) It's going to show them a different side of you and they'll look at you completely different. (14:00) Are they going to want to buy your, your coaching?(14:03) Probably not, not based on your cat photo, but they will see you from a different perspective. (14:07) They've never seen you.

Alan Lazaros

(14:08) And the cat photo will potentially draw them in and then they might listen to the other stuff. (14:14) Right. (14:15) Right.(14:15) Right.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:16) So we're just, we're opposite. (14:18) You give deeper understanding.

Alan Lazaros

(14:19) I just did right there, didn't I?

Kevin Palmieri

(14:21) Yes. (14:21) Yeah. (14:22) I give tactic first because I think that's, that's what I needed.(14:27) It's for me, seeing is believing and experiencing is believing, but I need to know what to do. (14:35) Tell me what to do. (14:36) What exercise do I do?(14:37) Don't tell me why I don't care. (14:39) Tell me what exercise to do. (14:41) And I'll do it.(14:42) Cool. (14:42) Love it. (14:43) Brother.(14:43) Why matters deeply? (14:46) No, I know. (14:47) I know it does for sure.(14:48) For sure. (14:48) For sure. (14:49) But in the short run, I think what is enough to get started?

Alan Lazaros

(14:54) I don't think I've ever done something without understanding why for, I know, but you're a strange human. (14:59) Damn. (14:59) Okay.(15:00) Urgent importance.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:01) Three minutes.

Alan Lazaros

(15:02) You know, what's fascinating to me? (15:05) A framework like this is only as valuable as your brain already is. (15:09) Like if we were teaching this to a three-year-old, even if they knew what was urgent, important, significant, it wouldn't matter because they, their brain can't come up with the bullseye.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:17) That's why I think frameworks are really good at a certain point. (15:21) A framework for somebody that's brand new to fitness is fucking useless. (15:27) Protein, carbs, fats, micros, macros, blah, blah, protein timing, protein synthesis, ATP.(15:33) No, nope. (15:34) None of that is valuable because you don't know what any of that means. (15:36) You need to just go to the gym.(15:38) That's it. (15:38) Just start going to the gym, baby. (15:40) I think you need to go to the gym and study fit.(15:43) I know. (15:43) I know. (15:44) In an ideal world, in an ideal world.(15:46) Nice. (15:47) You, but again, you and I have always been on, on when you tell me how to do something, you tell me what to do. (15:53) I go do it.(15:54) That's just the way I'm.

Alan Lazaros

(15:55) And sometimes you figure out why to do it over time.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:58) Yeah. (15:59) For me, I don't do it until I know why. (16:01) That can be to a detriment for both of us.(16:03) Yeah, for sure. (16:03) Right.

Alan Lazaros

(16:04) Sometimes I won't do it even though I should have. (16:05) And somebody's like, I didn't know why yet.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:07) A hundred percent. (16:07) And I'll go do it even though I shouldn't, because it's like, yeah, that makes sense. (16:10) That's, that'll get me good.(16:11) That's good. (16:12) I came to the mailing list. (16:13) What's the, what is the takeaway?

Alan Lazaros

(16:17) So this is the key takeaway question. (16:19) How can this help all of us be more successful? (16:23) This can help all of us be more discerning with where we spend our time.(16:28) Assuming you have clear goals and are able to discern with what is urgent, important, and significant. (16:34) So urgent is time. (16:37) How, how, when is this due?(16:39) Important is how valuable is this for your goals when it comes to success? (16:43) And then it's significant is how long will it pay off?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:47) Okay. (16:48) This is, I would challenge everybody to start with urgent. (16:52) Start there.(16:53) That, that would be my challenge. (16:55) Because very honestly, I'm not thinking about how long this is going to pay off. (17:01) More than ever.(17:03) But when I'm under the gun, I go urgent. (17:06) Right? (17:07) I am the, not the master, but I am the guy who just does the urgent shit in the order that it has to get done.(17:13) And I put out fires. (17:15) I literally told Taryn, I said, it's so interesting to me how at, at this point, all I really do is just find a way to solve problems. (17:21) That's it.(17:22) That's my whole day now is there's a problem and I need to find a way to solve it in X amount of time.

Alan Lazaros

(17:28) Which is good because most of the stuff I do doesn't pay off for a decade. (17:31) Yeah. (17:32) We're a good team.(17:33) It's still invisible.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:34) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(17:34) All right.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:35) Cool.

Alan Lazaros

(17:36) All right. (17:36) Speaking of urgent.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:37) Yes. (17:37) Speaking of urgent, Alan has a coaching call that is time-based and he's going to be late for this client and that will not pay off forever. (17:43) It will pay off forever in a bad way.(17:45) This client knows I have a five-minute buffer. (17:46) A five-minute buffer. (17:47) Okay.(17:48) Next Elven Nation is a private Facebook group of amazing humans like you who want to optimize their time better. (17:53) They want to get to the next level in all areas of life. (17:56) Obviously you want to be around high performers doing the same.(18:00) Uh, book club every Saturday, 1230 Eastern time reading Rationality by Steven Pinker. (18:06) Right now. (18:07) And then what else?(18:08) Monthly master classes. (18:11) Classes. (18:11) I still, I still don't have the label down.(18:14) What's the next one? (18:14) You have that chosen? (18:15) Thursday.

Alan Lazaros

(18:17) Uh, first Thursday of next month. (18:18) I don't know.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:19) No, I didn't know if you had it.

Alan Lazaros

(18:20) It's most likely going to be on business actually.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:23) Okay. (18:23) And if you're out there and this episode was like, all right, that's a good, that scratches the itch, but I need way more custom reach out to Alan for a free 30 minute business breakthrough session. (18:32) If you haven't done it yet, you can't if you don't know what to do.

Alan Lazaros

(18:35) I'm going to give you a system that gives you, I'll give you a system that tells you exactly what to do.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:39) There you go.

Alan Lazaros

(18:40) I'll reverse engineer every goal you want and then you'll be annoyed cause what you have to do to get it. (18:44) It's going to suck. (18:45) And I'll just say, well, if you want the goal, you have to do it.(18:48) And boom. (18:49) I think that maybe that's why the coaching is so valuable is like, I'll just tell you exactly what to do. (18:53) Look, that's tactics.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:55) Love it. (18:56) Love it. (18:56) All right, cool.(18:57) As always, we love you. (18:58) We appreciate you. (18:58) Grateful for each and every one of you.(19:00) And if you are as committed as you say are to getting to the next level, make sure you tune in tomorrow because we will be here every single day to help you get there. (19:07) Keep reaching for your full potential. (19:09) Next level nation.(19:10) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (19:14) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(19:17) We mean it when we say family. (19:19) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (19:22) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(19:26) Thank you again.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:27) And we will talk to you tomorrow.