The Magic of Quadrant Two
Once upon a time
I was house sitting
Not just any house
This was an off-grid cabin
Positioned on the side of a steep green mountain
Which overlooked the ocean in the far distance
I had a Great Dane puppy to care for
As well as four peacocks
Two alpacas
And a bunch of chickens & guinea fowl
It was my version of heaven
But at the time
I was pretty miserable
It had been a rough year
I felt like I was wasting my time on this earth
My intentions to work hard were met with the reality of me feeling exhausted and unmotivated
And anytime I wanted to just rest & relax
I spent it feeling like I didn’t deserve to
Then I turned a page in a book (literally) and found something
The Eisenhower Matrix
It’s a very simple way of categorising the things you do
Four Quadrants
#1 - Important & Urgent
#2 - Important & Not Urgent
#3 - Not Important & Urgent
#4 - Not Important & Not Urgent
If you need a visual example: https://www.bishophouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Effective-Personal-Management-with-Covey-The-4-Quads.pdf
Okay
Why would this be important?
Well
If I can measure things
I can build awareness
And if I have better awareness
Then I can make better choices
Bingo
Think about the things you do
Social media, watching the news, practicing, being in nature, managing finances, playing playstation, exercising, meditating, complaining, journaling, charity, gossiping, Yoga, class, studying, washing the car, eating good nutrition, holidays, eating junk food, family time, date nights, travelling, fishing, sleeping, checking Bitcoin, reading, working, rehearsing, building side hustles, emailing, cleaning, swiping, laundry, groceries, going out with great friends, going out with de-energising people, idol time, scrolling, thinking about things which are out of your control, sitting on the loo, etc etc etc
Put them in the box you think is most appropriate
Be as uncomfortably honest with yourself as you can
Now
Here’s an interesting question
Which quadrant do you think top performers prioritise?
When I first did this exercise, my instinctual response was Quadrant #1
Things which are most important and need to be done immediately, right?
Nope
This quadrant equals stress, burnout, fatigue and feeling unmotivated
So where do top performers aim to spend most of their time?
Quadrant #2
Important & Not Urgent
Things which you value most
And can be seen as an investment of your time rather than something you need to scramble to get done
Some possible examples of Quadrant #2 activities…
Meditating
Journaling
Meal prep
Quality training/practice
Getting quality guidance
Spending time with people who you feel energised around
Calling people you love
Having difficult conversations
Helping others
Date night
Sitting in nature
Dancing like you did when you were 5
Exercise
Afternoon nap/rest
Etc etc
What do you value most & doesn’t actually need to get done by the end of the day or week?
What do you know will steer you toward the future you would like to build for yourself?
What will help you put your head on the pillow at night feeling proud/grateful?
You get the picture
This is for you to decide
Have fun experimenting with this
Maybe that 30 minutes of Simpsons is very important to you?
You do you boo boo!
Now, what to do about the activities in each of these categories?
#1 - Important & Urgent = Learn to manage them well
#2 - Important & Not Urgent =Learn to prioritise them well
#3 - Not Important & Urgent = Learn to delegate them well
#4 - Not Important & Not Urgent = Learn to delete them.
I got a shock when I put pen to paper on this one
I realised there was a pretty big difference between who I thought I was and where most of my actions were actually spent
I’ll leave you with a question I love exploring…
What is actually worth rushing for?
Hope this helps
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