When it comes to the list of things that we have to do, it can be difficult getting to the things that really matter. What mattes most to you? Family and friends, things related to the work you love, or personal time? What ever it is, how do you get to the to-do items in the areas that matter most to you? Are you relating what you do daily to your values?
Look at how you manage your time. Do you have a tool that fits your time management personality and a system to support it? If you’re not organized and don’t have a time management system in place it can be even more difficult to get to what matters most. You can spend a lot of time putting out fires and not getting to what matters most.
In the fast paced society that we’re operating in today it’s easy to forget about the things that we really want to do; the things that truly satisfy us. Usually, people spend time working on things that are important and urgent, but also tend to focus on things that are urgent but not important such as interruptions, non productive meetings and pressing matters. Very rarely do they spend time on things that fall under the category of being important but not urgent; things like planning, seizing opportunities, and recreation and relaxation.
Where are you spending your time? Do you end up working on the things that are urgent and important or are you managing yourself effectively and working on things that are important but not urgent? We’ll look at those areas and the rest of Covey’s Quadrant in my next post.