Strategy # 13: The Four Quadrants of Effective Time Management

If you’re like most business owners, you probably find that there’s not enough time in your day to accomplish everything you need to. And that leaves you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

Today, I’m going to teach you a powerful framework for identifying which tasks you absolutely NEED to do…and which you can let slide by.

But first, a recap. In my last communication about the 18 Proven Strategies Series, I introduced you to the Five Steps to Freedom. Your assignment was to reflect on the five steps and determine what phase YOU’RE in. This information will be vital as you begin to weigh and prioritize the tasks you need to complete in order to move your business through the steps as quickly as possible.

And today’s lesson will be vital as you begin to make those shifts.

Dr. Stephen Covey, bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, posited that there are four basic quadrants into which all tasks fall:

The first quadrant, important and urgent, consists of things you simply must do NOW: attend to a crying child, put out a fire, and so on.

The second quadrant, important and not urgent, is the “quality time” quadrant. It consists of critical tasks that can be scheduled in advance. Working on your business plan, personal recreation, and bonding time with family belong here.

The third quadrant consists of not important and urgent tasks. These are distractions and interruptions, or unimportant emails, tasks, and phone calls that compete for your attention in the moment.

The fourth quadrant, not important and not urgent, is the “time-wasting” quadrant: online games, TV, unproductive meetings, and so on.

There’s not much you can do about Quadrant 1 (except, perhaps, for making sure that you’ve properly identified what belongs there), so your productivity relies on how well you manage the other three quadrants.

Generally speaking, to be successful, you must INCREASE the amount of time you spend in Quadrant 2 by DECREASING the amount of time you spend in Quadrants 3 and 4!

Today’s assignment:

Make a list of the most common tasks you perform each week and assign them to the various quadrants. Estimate how much time you spend in each quadrant. If you’re like most people, the results will be eye-opening.

If you find yourself struggling to decide which tasks go where, get in touch with me. You can call me direct at 506 872 2900, send me an email, or CLICK HERE to book your FREE consultation.

Next time, we’ll focus on one of the most important skills you can learn to free up Quadrant 2 time: delegation. This is important to your success as a business owner, so stay tuned!