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STEVEN COVEY TIME MATRIX


We all have 24 hours in a day. And if we get 8 hours of sleep we only have 16 hours. So the
question becomes, ¡°What do we do with those 16 hours?¡± Isn¡¯t it interesting how some people
use those 16 hours to be incredibly productive while others accomplish very little? Why is that?
Why do some people achieve their goals and experience great productivity and success while
others do not?


Stephen Covey, in his book First Things First, notes that those who accomplish very little are
probably spending a large amount of their 16 hours in the Quadrant of Deception and the
Quadrant of Waste. In his book he highlights four quadrants where one can spend their time: 1)
Quadrant of Necessity, 2) Quadrant of Quality & Personal Leadership, 3) Quadrant of Deception,
and 4) Quadrant of Waste.


Each of us has a choice as to how we will allocate our time between these quadrants. But one
thing is for sure: when it comes to achieving your goals and living a life of minimal stress ¨C all
quadrants are NOT equal. The four quadrants define how you should allocate your time:-


Quadrant 1 - Manage the Quadrant of Necessity as best you can.


Quadrant 2 - Focus on the Quadrant of Quality and Personal Leadership for it makes the
Quadrant of Necessity more manageable and helps you achieve your goals faster.


Quadrant 3 - Be Careful of the Quadrant of Deception because activities in this quadrant may
appear urgent when in fact they are not. Too much time here will slow your progress towards
reaching your goals.


Quadrant 4 - Avoid the Quadrant of Waste as much as possible. Too much time here and you
will not achieve your goals at all.
TIME MANAGEMENT MATRIX


           from Stephen Covey¡¯s book ¡°First Things First¡±


           Urgent                                   Not Urgent

                I                                          II
          (MANAGE)                                     (FOCUS)
?    Crisis                              ?       Preparation/planning
?    Medical emergencies                 ?       Prevention
?    Pressing problems                   ?       Values clarification
?    Deadline-driven projects            ?       Exercise
?    Last-minute preparations for        ?       Relationship-building
     scheduled activities                ?       True recreation/relaxation


                                                 Quadrant of Quality &
    Quadrant of Necessity
                                                 Personal Leadership

              III                                         IV
           (AVOID)                                     (AVOID)
?    Interruptions, some calls               ?    Trivia, busywork
?    Some mail & reports                     ?    Junk mail
?    Some meetings                           ?    Some phone messages/email
?    Many ¡°pressing¡± matters                 ?    Time wasters
?    Many popular activities                 ?    Escape activities
                                             ?    Viewing mindless TV shows


    Quadrant of Deception                         Quadrant of Waste

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Steven covey time matrix

  • 1. STEVEN COVEY TIME MATRIX We all have 24 hours in a day. And if we get 8 hours of sleep we only have 16 hours. So the question becomes, ¡°What do we do with those 16 hours?¡± Isn¡¯t it interesting how some people use those 16 hours to be incredibly productive while others accomplish very little? Why is that? Why do some people achieve their goals and experience great productivity and success while others do not? Stephen Covey, in his book First Things First, notes that those who accomplish very little are probably spending a large amount of their 16 hours in the Quadrant of Deception and the Quadrant of Waste. In his book he highlights four quadrants where one can spend their time: 1) Quadrant of Necessity, 2) Quadrant of Quality & Personal Leadership, 3) Quadrant of Deception, and 4) Quadrant of Waste. Each of us has a choice as to how we will allocate our time between these quadrants. But one thing is for sure: when it comes to achieving your goals and living a life of minimal stress ¨C all quadrants are NOT equal. The four quadrants define how you should allocate your time:- Quadrant 1 - Manage the Quadrant of Necessity as best you can. Quadrant 2 - Focus on the Quadrant of Quality and Personal Leadership for it makes the Quadrant of Necessity more manageable and helps you achieve your goals faster. Quadrant 3 - Be Careful of the Quadrant of Deception because activities in this quadrant may appear urgent when in fact they are not. Too much time here will slow your progress towards reaching your goals. Quadrant 4 - Avoid the Quadrant of Waste as much as possible. Too much time here and you will not achieve your goals at all.
  • 2. TIME MANAGEMENT MATRIX from Stephen Covey¡¯s book ¡°First Things First¡± Urgent Not Urgent I II (MANAGE) (FOCUS) ? Crisis ? Preparation/planning ? Medical emergencies ? Prevention ? Pressing problems ? Values clarification ? Deadline-driven projects ? Exercise ? Last-minute preparations for ? Relationship-building scheduled activities ? True recreation/relaxation Quadrant of Quality & Quadrant of Necessity Personal Leadership III IV (AVOID) (AVOID) ? Interruptions, some calls ? Trivia, busywork ? Some mail & reports ? Junk mail ? Some meetings ? Some phone messages/email ? Many ¡°pressing¡± matters ? Time wasters ? Many popular activities ? Escape activities ? Viewing mindless TV shows Quadrant of Deception Quadrant of Waste