Complete this form, to see where you are at and what needs to be changed.
You spend all your awake time doing something. Even doing nothing is doing something. The "something"s that you do can be simply categorized: they are urgent or not urgent and also important or not important. It is the mix of urgency with importance that puts the "something"s you do into one of Covey’s quadrants. (An expanded version of these are here.)
Based on the results, using the following rating system, rate yourself as too how much you have lived in these Quadrants: (Use 5 = Alot, 4 = too much, 3 = a bit too much, 2 = not too bad, 1 = operating pretty optimally.) And then choose which you will increase or reduce - use an up arrow or a down arrow.
QUADRANT I
Reduce/
Rating Increase?
I live in a world of stress, burnout, exhaustion, always
putting out fires. 5 4 3 2 1
To reduce this, spend alot more time in Quadrant II, frequently.
QUADRANT III
Reduce/
Rating Increase?
I live in a world of short-term focus, crisis management,
shallow/broken relationships, damaged reputation 5 4 3 2 1
If this is a problem, prioritize, spending alot more time in Quadrant II, frequently. You should drop as many of these as possible and put the time elsewhere.
QUADRANT IV
Reduce/
Rating Increase?
I live in a world of my being very unproductive, total
irresponsibility, dependency on others 5 4 3 2 1
To reduce this, spend alot more time in Quadrant II, frequently. Eliminate virtually 100% of these from your life, for a much greater life.
QUADRANT II
Reduce/
Rating Increase?
I live in a world of balance, discipline, control, few stresses 5 4 3 2 1
To increase this, schedule in alot more time in Quadrant II, more frequently.
ENTER THE QUADRANT NUMBER IN THE SPACE:
I am mostly a Quadrant ___ person, as I experience the results in that quadrant.
Secondarily, I also tend towards being a Quadrant ___ person, as I experience the results in that quadrant.
I am satisfied with that mix: ___ Yes; ____ No
I am dissatisfied with that mix: ___ Yes; ____ No
___ I commit to upping my Quadrant II time by ___ hours a week, which I will
have prescheduled. (Recommended: at least 2 - 5 hours.)
___ I realize that my quadrant I time in crises and stress will automatically
decline and what is important to do will reside in Quadrant II, with no stress
but high productivity
___ I commit to eliminating at least ___ hours a week of Quadrant III time. (5?)
___ I commit to eliminating ___ hours a week of Quadrant IV time (5+?)
___ As a part of Quadrant II, I will recalibrate and replan what I am doing to
improve my life, so that those activities for improvement are much more
productive.
___ I see that I am not making as much progress as I should from the time I
am spending on this. I know this because of the results I am getting in
terms of symptoms.
___ I know that, to live as that person lives, I must do as he/she does.
___ I understand that a life champion: Gets frequent feedback, adjusts for it quickly, fixes all problems quickly so have no big problems plus also quickly solves small problems/
WHAT DO I DO NEXT?
What is needed next is to put in place the time and structure to permit the effective reallocation of time to Quadrant II activities. To do that, we must often free up time from useless activities and also from lesser importance activities (giving up some totally, in favor of putting higher value in its place).
Assuming you have rated yourself (do now if you haven't), put a printed copy of the results in a file or notebook (see Notebook System). (Send a copy to coach or partner.)
Decide if you will do anything about it.
Implement them:
