Time Management Matrix
(First Things First, Stephen Covey)

Quadrant I:  Quadrant of Necessity

This quadrant represents activities that are necessary for you to focus on, because they are urgent (time-sensitive) AND important to you.  These are some of the kinds of activities that fall into Q-I:
Ø Pressing problems / crisis
Ø Deadline-driven projects
Ø Last-minute preparations for scheduled activities 

Quadrant II:  Quadrant of Quality & Personal Leadership

This quadrant represents activities that are important, but because they are not urgent, they are easy to put on the back burner for "when I have more time."  In order to focus on these activities, one must be proactive.  Here are examples of activities that fall into Q-II:
Ø Preparation/planning
Ø Prevention
Ø Values clarification
Ø Exercise
Ø Relationship-building
Ø True recreation/relaxation

Quadrant III: Quadrant of Deception

This quadrant represents activities that are not important and urgent (time-sensitive).  Q-III is known as the Quadrant of Deception, because we get deceived into believing that these activities are important because they are urgent, even though we've identified these activities as not important.  Here are examples of activities that fall into Q-III:
Ø Unimportant interruptions & phone calls
Ø Unimportant mail & reports
Ø Some meetings
Ø Many "pressing" matters
Ø Many popular activities  

Quadrant IV:  Quadrant of Waste

This quadrant represents activities that are not important and are not urgent.  Here are examples of activities that fall into Q-IV:
Ø Trivia, busywork
Ø Reviewing junk mail
Ø Some phone calls
Ø Escape activities
Ø Viewing mindless TV shows 

The goal is to manage activities in Quadrant I, focus on activities in Quadrant II, and avoid activities in Quadrants III and IV - activities that you've deemed as not important.  The less time you spend in Q-III, the more time you can proactively devote to Q-II activities.

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Six Step Weekly Planning Process
(adapted from Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and First Things First)

1. Connect to your Mission/Purpose Statement

If you'd like a tool to help you begin drafting your mission, go to the Mission Statement Builder page at http://www.franklincovey.com/missionbuilder/. Your mission statement represents your values, vision, and purpose for your life.

2. Review your key roles.

Start with self, and then identify a maximum of seven roles of greatest importance to you.
I share my own personal roles below as an example, including sub-roles for my "business owner" role. 

3.     Identify weekly goals/choices.IN WRITING

Think of two or three important results you want to accomplish during the coming week in each role you identified in step two. Write this week's goals/choices next to each role.

Goals can be focus areas (example: focus on using reflective listening skills with my daughter) or scheduled activities (example: work out at the gym three times for one hour each). Remind yourself of this truth: Every time I say "yes" to someone or something, I am saying "no" to someone or something else!

4. Organize your time weekly.

Schedule a weekly one-hour appointment with yourself and follow this Six Step Planning Process as you plan each week. Look at the week ahead with your goals in mind and schedule time to take the action required to achieve them.

NOTE:  Plan some unscheduled time. If every minute of every day is already booked, you are setting yourself up for failure. Allow time for some unexpected but important activities when planning your week.

Tool Tip: Use a weekly planner rather than a daily or monthly planner. If you use a hand-held organizer, do your planning at a computer screen where you can see the whole week at once.

5. Exercise integrity in the moment of choice.

When making schedule adjustments, connect with your mission to stay on track. If something more important comes up, reschedule the planned activity for another time. Decisions are based on your priorities. Be a gatekeeper - say no to activities or responsibilities which will derail you from living your mission. Don't play the victim; it's your life and you are in control! 

6. Evaluate and learn.

"If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting! One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expecting different results." (Stephen Covey) 

Evaluate weekly - learn from what didn't work the week before - and try something different in the coming week.

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It's About Time:  The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them

(by Linda Sapadin)

Style #1:  Perfectionist.  Reluctant to start or finish a task because they don't want anything less than perfect.
Personality Type:  Critical
Thinking Style:  All or nothing
Speaking Style:  I should...  I have to...
Acting Style  Flawless
Psychological  Need For:  Control 

Style #2:  Dreamer.  They don't like details.  This makes ideas difficult to implement.
Personality Type:  Fanciful
Thinking Style:  Vague
Speaking Style:  I wish...
Acting Style:  Passive
Psychological need for:  Being special

Style #3:  Worrier.  They have an excessive need for security, causing them to fear risk.  They fear change, causing them to avoid finishing projects so they don't have to leave the comfort of the "known."
Personality Type:  Fearful
Thinking Style:  Indecisive
Speaking Style:  What if...?
Acting Style:  Cautious
Psychological Need For:  Security

Style #4:  Defier.  A rebel seeking to buck the rules.  By procrastinating, they are setting their own schedule -- one that nobody else can predict or control.  More subtle forms are called passive-aggressive.
Personality Type:  Resistant
Thinking Style:  Oppositional
Speaking Style:  Why should I...?
Acting Style:  Rebellious
Psychological Need For:  Non-conformity>

Style #5:  Crisis-Maker.  Addicted to the adrenaline rush of living on the edge.
Personality Type:  Over-emotional
Thinking Style:  Agitated
Speaking Style:  Extremes - "Unbelievable"
Acting Style:  Dramatic
Psychological Need For:  Attention

Style #6:  Over-Doer.  Says yes to too much because they are unable or unwilling to make choices and establish priorities.  They have difficulty making decisions.  Prime candidate for burnout.
Personality Type:  Busy
Thinking Style:  Compelled
Speaking Style:  Can't say "no"
Acting Style:  Do-it-all
Psychological Need For:  Self-reliance

Visit http://www.orgcoach.net/overcomeprocrastination.html for more information.

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Five Psychological Steps to Completion

1.       Deciding to do something

2.       Starting to do it.

3.       Continuing to do it.

4.       Completing it.

5.       Acknowledging that it is complete.

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Each month I publish a newsletter about productivity or time management.  June is Rebuild Your Life Month and I have written an article called Information Overload.  It contains some tips you may find helpful.  Visit http://www.orgcoach.net/newsletter/june2004.html for a sneak preview of my June issue.

I will be conducting teleclasses on the following learning instruments over the next several months, and you will receive an invitation to these, as well:

DiSC® Classic 2.0 Online Profile - Over 40 million people worldwide have used DiSC Classic to improve performance, deal more effectively with conflict, and value differences. Using the research-based DiSC model, DiSC Classic helps you better understand why you act the way you do. The foundation of success lies in understanding ourselves and others, appreciating differences, and then adapting our behavior to meet diverse needs.

Team Dimensions Profile - The Team Dimensions Profile helps individuals work from their strengths by identifying their most natural team role, while giving them added appreciation for the contributions of others.  As organizations rely more and more on teams to innovate, problem solve, produce, and compete at the speed of change, clearly understanding and capitalizing on individual approaches to group processes is the bottom line on creating high performance teams.

Work Expectations Profile - Work expectations are those things people consider likely to happen in their job situation, either now or in the future. Whether spoken or unspoken, met or unmet, expectations have a powerful impact on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and play a key role in driving our attitudes. Research shows that people who have clearly defined, well-communicated expectations find more satisfaction and success in their work than people whose expectations go unspoken or unrealized. And companies that employ satisfied, successful people reap the rewards of increased productivity and reduced turnover.

For more information on these learning tools, please visit http://www.discassessments.net/index.html.  We offer training and assessment products for traditional instructor-led formats, as well as computer and web-based learning.