Time Management

-The four quadrant rule

-Source - Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People
-by Stephen Covey
Few questions
 Do you find 24 hours to be less in a day

 Do you often fail to meet the deadlines

 Do you find time to be with your family and friends

 Do you find relaxing time; reading time; playing time

etc.

 …….
Four Quadrants
 Our time
is Urgent Not Urgent
normally
divided
into four Important Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2
categories
/
quadrants Not
Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4
Important
Where do you spend your
time

Urgent Not Urgent

Important Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2

Not Important Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4

Example of a Student

Urgent Not Urgent

Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2
Important Prepares for exam Prepares for exam
at the last minute well before the exam

Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4
Spends most of the A Lazy person not
Not Important
time in completing bothered of his / her
friends notes exam
Example of an Executive

Urgent Not Urgent

Quadrant 2
Quadrant 1
Work planned and
Important Work done at the last
executed well before
minute
the dead line

Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4
Attending to friends A Lazy person –
Not Important
phone call for 2 – 3 always sleeping and
hours doing time pass
Quadrant 3 & 4

 You now know what kind of persons lie in

the quadrant 4 (Irresponsible / Lazy)

 Quadrant 3 persons may be very

hardworking but they do not succeed
since they spend most of their time in
doing unimportant things
Quadrant 1
 Quadrant 1 persons are always in a hurry as
they are doing jobs which are important and
urgent

 Since the quadrant 1 persons are always in a rush,

they never find time and peace of mind

 Their efficiency is never optimum (ask yourself when

you do any thing in a rush do you get the perfect /
required results)
Quadrant 2
 Quadrant 2 people always plan their schedule well.

 They set their own targets and complete the same

before the deadlines

 They have ample of time and peace of mind

 Their efficiency is always very high (ask yourself –

outcome of a job when it is done in a cool manner)
Reality
 Not a single person in this world actually belongs to
one particular quadrant.

 Every persons time is divided in the four quadrants. For

Example

Urgent Not Urgent

Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2
Important
30% 30%
Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4
Not Important
10% 30%
An Ideal Mix
No matter how much you plan Spend most of the time in
you will require some time to this quadrant. Move your
spend in this quadrant. So time from other quadrant to
always be ready for it. this quadrant. Your
efficiency will increase and
so will your peace of mid

Not
Urgent
Urgent
Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2
Important
5% 80%

Not Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4

Like it or not some of
Important 10% 5% your time will be taken
by Quadrant 3 and
Quadrant 4, But one
should keep the time
in these two quadrants
at its minimum