Put First Things First

Thoughts on 161 of quarantine.

3. Put First Things First

Quick Summary:

In order to manage ourselves effectively, we must put first things first. We must have the discipline to prioritize our day-to-day actions based on what is most important, not what is most urgent.

In Habit 2, we discussed the importance of determining our values and understanding what it is we are setting out to achieve. Habit 3 is about actually going after these goals, and executing on our priorities on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis.

In order to maintain the discipline and the focus to stay on track toward our goals, we need to have the willpower to do something when we don't want to do it. We need to act according to our values rather than our desires or impulses at any given moment.

‘The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.” Steven Covey.

 

All activities can be categorized based on two factors: Urgent and important. Take a look at this time management matrix:

 

Quadrant 1 URGENT AND IMPORTANT 

Crisis

Pressing problems

Deadline-driven projects 

 

Quadrant 2 NOT URGENT BUT IMPORTANT 

Relationship building

Recognizing new opportunities

planning

 

Quadrant 3 NOT IMPORTANT BUT URGENT

Interruptions

Some calls, meetings

Popular activities

 

Quadrant 4 NOT IMPORTANT AND NOT URGENT 

Trivial busywork

Time wasters

Pleasant activities 

 

We react to urgent matters. We spend our time doing things that are not important. That means that we neglect Quadrant II, which is the actually most crucial of them all.

If we focus on Quadrant I and spend our time managing crises and problems, it keeps getting bigger and bigger until it consumes us. This leads to stress, burnout, and constantly putting out fires.

If we focus on Quadrant III, we spend most of our time reacting to matters that seem urgent, when the reality is their perceived urgency is based on the priorities and expectations of others. This leads to short-term focus, feeling out of control, and shallow or broken relationships.

If we focus on Quadrant IV, we are basically leading an irresponsible life. This often leads to getting fired from jobs and being highly dependent on others.

Quadrant II is at the heart of effective personal management. It deals with things like building relationships, long-term planning, exercising, preparation -- all things we know we need to do but somehow seldom get around to actually doing because they don't feel urgent.

In order to focus our time in Quadrant II, we have to learn how to say "no" to other activities, sometimes ones that seem urgent. We also need to be able to delegate effectively.

“The Key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Steven Covey 

 

This was a good reminder of prioritizing the important things. 

Con amor,

Vero