Setting Priorities

Most people need to spend less time on tasks that are neither urgent nor important (Quadrant Four). But that is the easy part! The tasks that are urgent, but really not very important, present more of a challenge.

Quadrant One: We must spend time in Quadrant One. An irate client, a project deadline, a broken computer, or child crying or even open-heart surgery are both Important and Urgent. Such tasks cannot be ignored. The central time management question is: How often do matters end up as both important and urgent because we procrastinate, do not do prevention or fail to plan? Failure to attend to important matters when they are not urgent can mean too many crises.

Quadrant Two: Spending more time in Quadrant Twowith matters important but not urgent can pay, both in terms of impact, and in avoiding having issues become urgent that otherwise might not. For example, planning and preparation help us avoid urgent matters. But urgent matters continually press us and divert our attention from planning and preparation, which leads to more crises we will face. To truly master time we should learn to arrange our lives to spend more time in Quadrant II on matters that are important, but not yet urgent.

Quadrant Three: Covey calls Quadrant Three the Quadrant of Deception. Urgent matters scream for attention but for tasks that aren’t really important. Meetings that drift without focus, phone calls and drop-in visitors fit these. We turn our time and our lives over to other people. Their priorities (or lack of them) become our priorities.

Quadrant Four: Quadrant Four is called the Quadrant of Waste. Some see it as a place of rest and recreation, but it is not. Rest and recreation are important enough to be in Quadrant Two. Gossiping around the water fountain, watching mindless TV or browsing the Internet aimlessly fit in this category.

It can be really difficult to break the urgency addiction and regulate ourselves to do what is important. But it is well worth the try.

As crises come your way, whether you discover them or they are brought to you, try to identify in which quadrant they belong. In time you’ll be able to more quickly make this decision and deal with the matter appropriately.