In Steven Covey’s best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey’s third effective habit is to put first things first. He explains this with a presentation on the four quadrants of time management, which are:
I. Important and urgent – Do crises and emergencies
II. Important but not urgent – Plan prevention, planning, and improvement
III. Not important but urgent – Delegate interruptions and busy work
IV. Not important and not urgent - Eliminate time wasters
Here’s a summary of the meaning of each quadrant, and what it might mean for you:
Quadrant I – High urgency. The first quadrant contains tasks and responsibilities that demand immediate attention. Your truck won’t start! Your best customer or dealership calls and needs something now. You forgot your kid’s birthday and you need a present today! You need some sales today.
Quadrant II – Long-term development and strategizing. The second quadrant is for items that are important without requiring immediate action. Covey points out that this quadrant should be used for long-term strategizing. Learn a new selling skill. Develop a new local promotion. Run down your inventory before the next Matco Expo, Cornwell Rally, or ISN Tool Dealer Expo (to name a few).
Quadrant III – Distractions with high urgency. The third quadrant is reserved for tasks that are urgent, without being important. Covey recommends minimizing or even eliminating these tasks as they do not contribute to your output. Delegation is also an option here. A small customer needs a new 1/2” socket and just can’t wait until your stop there next week. Your DM wants a report on the sales of some new tool today because he forgot to ask you for it last week.
Quadrant IV – Activities with little to no value. The fourth and last quadrant focuses on tasks and responsibilities that do not yield any value—items that are unimportant and not urgent. These time wasters should be eliminated at any cost. Do you really need that stop at the donut shop? Your heart and waistline will thank you for skipping this one.
Published in 1989 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is still the number one business book best seller on Amazon. As successful as we may be, there's always room for improvement. Try some of these suggestions, and see if anything sticks.
