How to Use the Four Quadrants to Stop Wasting Time
The four quadrants grid is a time-management activity discussed in the book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," by Stephen Covey. This prioritization matrix starts with one large box that constitutes all your daily activities. The box is then divided further into four quadrants and numbered one through four, from right to left. This matrix is used to categorize activities as important, not important, urgent and not urgent. This time-management technique is used to prioritize activities. It demands a critical analysis of your activities against each quadrant.
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Instructions
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Identify quadrant one activities. These will demand immediate expenditures of energy and resources because they are both important and urgent. These activities are generally pressing issues that might involve crisis management. They may be recurring activities that consistently require your attention. By identifying specific activities as existing in quadrant one in your life, you are able to then evaluate why they are urgent and consider ways to reduce the urgency of some of these important activities. By reducing the urgency of important activity, you frequently reduce the level of stress associated with tackling them.
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Classify quadrant two activities as important and not urgent. The energy involved in quadrant two activities is more balanced and controlled optimal for planning, risk management and relationship-building. A critical evaluation of what makes quadrant one activities urgent can lead to solutions to reduce the urgency of some activities, transferring them to quadrant two.
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Categorize quadrant three activities, which are those that are not important, but are urgent. This might include an unexpected telephone call that must be taken, but has little or no value to your goals or objectives. Additionally, some business meetings are urgent---because you must be in attendance---but might turn out to be of little or no direct importance to your specific goals and objectives within the organization.
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Control quadrant four activities because they are neither important nor urgent. This includes activities that are unnecessary to further any particular goal or objective. Of all the four grids, quadrant four activities tend to be non-work, busy-work, trivia and time-wasters. For example, this might include excessive television, game-playing and social networking. Don't completely throw out quadrant four activities. They can be relaxers necessary to maintain a balanced life.
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References
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