The Time Management Matrix

Say TIPS
1 Urgent 2 Not Urgent “Yes”
more often
Use this quadrant grid to
Important Important than you
say “No”
learn how you use your
time and to modify
where you prioritize your
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● Crises ● Planning & Organizing
● Pressing problems ● Preparation & Prevention For example, you could
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● Some meetings ● Stewardship development every work or personal
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● Some reports ● True recreation and exercise activity you engage in,
draw a dot or check
Digital Marketing mark in the quadrant
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Symptoms Cures begin to observe the
eCommerce
of poor time for poor time patterns of where your
...and more! management management time is most spent. By
“Most of us spend counting and tracking
too much time on
what is urgent and
3 Urgent 4 Not Urgent the number of dots or
checkmarks over days or
weeks, you’ll know
not enough time Not Important Not Important where to modify your
on what is daily behaviors and
important.” priorities. Eventually you
― Stephen R. Covey ● Interruptions ● Trivia & busy work will spend most of your
time in Quadrant 2 and
“Action expresses
● Some meetings ● Irrelevant email the least amount of time
priorities.” ● Some phone calls ● Some phone calls in Quadrants 1, 3, and 4.
― Mahatma Gandhi ● Some reports ● Time wasters
While it’s not realistic to
● Many popular activities ● “Escape” activities and television
“Things which eliminate all of the time
matter most must Say spent in Quadrants 1, 3,
never be at the and 4, the time you
“No” spend in Quadrant 2 will
mercy of things more often
improve the quality of
which matter
than you
say “Yes” your daily activities,
least.” keeping you on time,
― Johann Wolfgang Causes under budget, and with
von Goethe of poor time
less stress than before.
management

Source: Covey, S. (1999). The 7 habits of highly effective people. London: Simon & Schuster.