Time management matrix

Managing time effectively and spending time on the right things

Chapter 4

p.8

I don't know how they do it! I can never find time to do all I need to do, whereas some of my colleagues, and especially my team leader always seems to find the time to deal with everything even additional matters that crop up...... why are their lives so much more organized than mine?

Quadrant I is both urgent and important, dealing with significant results which require immediate attention - your typical "crises” or "problems". This quadrant consumes many people. They are crisis managers, problem-minded people and deadline-driven producers. The challenge they face is to progress into the non-important, non-urgent activities of quadrant IV.

Often 90% of their time is spent in quadrant I and most of the remaining 10% in quadrant IV with only negligible attention paid to quadrants II and III.

Some people spend a great deal of time in quadrant III thinking that they are in quadrant I.

They spend most of their time reacting to things that are urgent, assuming that they are also important. Often the urgency of these matters is based on the expectations of others.

Effective people stay out of quadrants III and IV because, urgent or not, they are not important. They also shrink quadrant I down to size by spending more time in quadrant II, which is the heart of effective personal management. Our effectiveness takes a quantum leap when we start doing the things in quadrant II on a regular basis.

Finding time for everything simply means managing time effectively and spending it on the right things. The secret lies in finding the balance between the ‘urgent’ and the ‘important.’
Urgent things have the same effect on us as a phone ringing. Urgent matters are usually visible, they press on us and demand attention. Often they are easy, pleasant and fun to do - but often they are so unimportant. Importance, on the other hand has to do with results.

If something is important, it contributes to your mission, your values, your high priority goals.

We react to urgent matters. Important matters that are not urgent require more initiative, to be more proactive. We must act to seize the opportunity, to make things happen.

How effective you are depends on which quadrant of the ‘Time Management Matrix’ you spend most of your time.

Thank you to: Franklin Covey

For further information read Steven Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".

Extra resources:

More resources:

Copyright © 2005 Next S Business Development (PTY) LTD.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, used for commercial purposes or edited in any way without the permission of the copyright owner.

Site map

Link to us

About Aleph career development