QUADRANT OF QUALITY:
planning, prevention, action

• require immediate action (NOW)
• with clear consequences / visible deadlines
• unavoidable, inevitable, unexpected
• require crisis mode response
• there’s always something beyond your control
• deadline-driven tasks
• if spending too much time in this quadrant
  • Stress, burnout, & sense that your days are out of your control
  • Rob energy & passion for your work
  • Easier to settle into mindless escapism Q4

• FOCUS HERE
• contribute to long-term goals & life values
• require planning & thoughtful action
• manage time, energy, & attention
• help you achieve long-term goals that are important to you
  • may not have deadlines
  • easy to put off in favor of more urgent tasks
  • may have greater effect on your long-term effectiveness in completing goals
• sweet spot of personal time management
• focus not on problem but on opportunities & growth
• to accomplish meaningful goals
• decrease the number of pressing problem Q1
• plan: complete projects, avoid possible problem

• busy works
• based on expectations set by others
• do not move you closer to your long-term goals
• mere urgency effect lives
• real/assumed deadlines that aren’t actually meaningful for you
• related to someone else priorities
• doing things you should do rather than what you want to do
• feeling not living up to larger goals
• don’t have control over your day-to-day life

• mindlessly expending resources
  • time, energy, attention
• mindless escapism
• wasting time
• we all need some leisure time/down time
  • be intentional about it
  • can drain your energy, passion, & creativity
• distraction in moderation is okay
• habitual distraction is not okay

• incident / accident
• suddent client / deadline

• planning for long & short term project
• regular chores
• maintenance projects
• professional networking
• personal relationship building
• learning a new skill
• keep up w/ current research in your field
• attending educational events
• exercise
• routine healthcare

• interruptions from coworkers, email, social media messages
• acting on coupons, etc

• especially if done excessively / in hours
  • TV, social media, scrolling mindlessly
  • shopping, online browsing

• –

• –

• automate, delegate
• negotiate workload
• practice saying no
• be clear on others about how much time you can spend on a given task
• don’t do it first thing in the morning

• time tracking:
  • identify bigger time wasters
  • strategize how to avoid/limit them
• develop a plan to overcome procrastination
• excessive relax time: have diminishing returns