Time Management Matrix: Focus on Priorities
The Time Management Matrix is a time management tool which will help you to prioritize your tasks and projects, so that you use your time effectively.
Contents
Prioritize Your Tasks and Projects with The Time Management Matrix
How many productivity books have you read lately? How many seminars led by productivity experts have you attended? How many productivity blogs do you read? The answer could be one, or it could be one-hundred. Either way, I have no doubt that you've already read, or you've been told, that the key to time management is making sure that you know what you want and what's most important to you.
There are an endless amount of tasks that you could invest your time in on any particular day:
- Grocery shopping
- Organizing your files
- Writing blog posts
- Exercising
- Watching television
- Spending time on social networking sites
- Talking to your friends on the phone
- Reading to keep up with changes in your field
- Playing a musical instrument
- Taking your child to the playground
- Attending a staff meeting
The question then becomes: Among all the things that you could be doing, which ones should you invest your time in? That's where prioritizing comes in. And one of the best time management tools for prioritizing is the Time Management Matrix, which consists of the following four quadrants:
1. Important and Urgent
2. Important, Not Urgent
3. Urgent, Not Important
4. Not Urgent, Not Important
This article will show you how to use the Time Management Matrix in order to prioritize the items on your to do list.
(Compass Study is courtesy of Calsidyrose).
Popularized by Covey
The Time Management Matrix was popularized by Stephen R. Covey in his book "First Things First". In addition, putting first things first is Habit 3 in Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".
First Things First
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Free Press |
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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Free Press |
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Here are the 7 habits of highly effective people:
- Habit 1: Be Proactive
- Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind
- Habit 3: Put First Things First
- Habit 4: Think Win/win
- Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
- Habit 6: Synergize
- Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Diagram of The Time Management Matrix
Merrill Covey Time Management Matrix
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How can I find more time?
People often ask the following question: "How can I find more time?" The answer, of course, is that there are 168 hours in a week, and there's absolutely nothing that you can do to increase that amount of time.
What you can do is make better use of the time that you have. And that's where setting priorities and the Time Management Matrix come in.
Darryl Cross - Time Management
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Darryl Cross - Time Management |
Quadrant I - The Quadrant of Necessity
Urgent - Important
Quadrant I is filled with activities that are important and urgent. It includes things such as the following:
- Important Meetings
- Projects With a Looming Deadline
- Crises
- Baby crying
If you spend a lot of time in this quadrant--also known as, the crisis quadrant--it's likely that you're not taking sufficient preventive measures. In addition, if you spend a lot of time her, sooner or later, you'll burn out.
Quadrant II - The Quadrant of Quality
Not Urgent - Important
Quadrant II is "The Quality Quadrant". This is where you want to spend most of your time. Examples of items that fall into this quadrant are the following:
- Regular Exercise
- Recreation
- Strengthening Your Relationships
- Working Toward Achieving Your Long-Term Goals
The key is to look for ways to reduce the time that you spend in the other three quadrants, so that you can spend more time in this quadrant.
Quadrant III - The Quadrant of Deception
Urgent - Not Important
Quadrant III is what Covey calls, "The Quadrant of Deception". This quadrant contains those activities which masquerade as being important, when they're really not. It includes things such as the following:
- Some Emails
- Interruptions
- Some Meetings
- Tasks that Aren't Related to Your Position Description
These things take up a lot of our time, because we get deceived into believing that they're important, when they're not.
Quadrant IV - The Quadrant of Waste
Not Urgent - Not Important
This is the escape quadrant, and it includes spending your time on trivial matters and time wasters, such as the following:
- Surfing the Internet
- Watching TV Re-Runs
- Gossiping Around the Water Cooler
- Procrastinating by Re-Organizing Your Files
If you spend too much time in Quadrant I--always in crisis mode--,it's very likely that you'll escape to Quadrant IV. You need to try to eliminate completely the time that you spend in this quadrant.
Which quadrant do you spend most of your time in?
Get Out of Crisis Mode
Fire Extinguisher
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Planning and Prevention
You can reduce the amount of time that you spend in Quadrant I by doing the following:
- Ask yourself if you're procrastinating and leaving everything to the last minute.
- Ask yourself if there's a way to prevent these crises (e.g. taking your car in for regular tune-ups so that it doesn't break down in the middle of the road).
- Spend more time in Quadrant II planning.
- Spend more time in Quadrant II taking preventive measures.
Say "No"
You can reduce the amount of time that you spend in Quadrant III by learning to say "no". A lot of the things that fall into Quadrant III are other people's emergencies.
- Before starting any task, ask yourself if you're the best person to be performing said task.
- Ask yourself what activities you're taking on which you should be delegating.
- Say "no" to attending meetings that you don't really need to be present at.
- Don't allow others to drag you into their drama.
No!
Learn to Say "No"
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Your Action Plan
Keep a time log in order to determine how you're spending your time. Then categorize your activities into the different time quadrants. Now ask yourself how you can start spending more time in Quadrant II.
- Look at the activities that are in Quadrant I and III. What can you do to prevent these crises from happening, or at least what can you do to lessen their urgency?
- Are you spending enough time on your relationships? It may not be urgent to spend time with your spouse--unless you're heading for divorce--but it's certainly important.
- Are you getting enough rest and relaxation? This may not be urgent, but it's vital for your mental and emotional well-being.
- Are you getting enough exercise? Your health may be fine now, but what will happen in a few years if you continue with your sedentary life style?
- What positive habits can you create in order to stay out of Quadrant I?
More Books by Covey
More Articles By Me
Links for "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Habit 1Disclosure: This page generates income for authors based on affiliate relationships with our partners, including Amazon, eBay, Google and others.
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