Proactive or Reactive?

Neglect the important (regular dentist visits), and eventually you'll have to attend to the urgent (a filling or a root canal). The result is costly and painful. It's the same in business.

When fundraisers neglect the important task of building a pipeline of planned gifts to provide a stream of long-term support, they waste time year after year on the urgent and inefficient task of scraping up every $100 gift they can find.

Next time you brush your teeth, turn it into a reminder to stay on top of the important stuff. It brings a better return and spares you the anxiety and pain of attending to the urgent.