Urgent and important time management matrix, time management in technical training centre’s Chapter 2 Review of the Related Literature Page 10

Urgent and important time management matrix

The judgment as to whether activities are urgent, important, both or neither, is crucial for good time management. Most inexperienced people, and people who are not good at time management, or in managing their environment, tend to spend most of their time in boxes 1 and 3. Poor time managers tend to priorities tasks (and thereby their time), according to who shouted last and loudest (interestingly, loudness normally correlates to seniority, which discourages most people from questioning and probing the real importance and urgency of tasks received from bosses and senior managers). Any spare time is typically spent in box4, which comprises only aimless and non-productive activities. Most people spend the least time of all in box2, which is the most critical area for success, development and proactive self-determination.  

Summary overview matrix - (tips on how to manage time and activities in the matrix below this one)

	Urgent	Not urgent
important	1 - DO NOW ·         emergencies, complaints and crisis issues ·         demands from superiors or customers ·         planned tasks or project work now due ·         meetings and appointments ·         reports and other submissions ·         staff issues or needs ·         problem resolution, fire-fighting, fixes Subject to confirming the importance and the urgency of these tasks, do these tasks now. Priorities according to their relative urgency.	2 - PLAN TO DO ·         planning, preparation, scheduling ·         research, investigation, designing, testing ·         networking relationship building ·         thinking, creating, modeling, designing ·         systems and process development ·         anticipation and prevention ·         developing change, direction, strategy Critical to success: planning, strategic thinking, deciding direction and aims, etc. Plan time-slots and personal space for these tasks.
not important	3 - REJECT AND EXPLAIN ·         trivial requests from others ·         apparent emergencies ·         ad-hoc interruptions and distractions ·         misunderstandings appearing as complaints ·         pointless routines or activities ·         accumulated unresolved trivia ·         boss's whims or tantrums Scrutinize and probe demands. Help originators to re-assess. Wherever possible reject and avoid these tasks sensitively and immediately.	4 - RESIST AND CEASE ·         'comfort' activities, computer games, net surfing, excessive cigarette breaks ·         chat, gossip, social communications ·         daydreaming, doodling, over-long breaks ·         reading nonsense or irrelevant material ·         Unnecessary adjusting equipment etc. ·         embellishment and over-production Habitual 'comforters' not true tasks. Non-productive, de-motivational. Minimize or cease altogether. Plan to avoid them.