17th March 2020
Key Points:
- Steven Covey’s matrix of time management - looking at tasks and whether or not they are urgent, not urgent, important, not important as shown in the matrix pictured below:
- Try to drop tasks that are deemed not important off the list
- Try to avoid a list mentality - doing so can be overwhelming and it often does not show priorities
- Simon’s tips:
- Daily planner matrix
- Includes list, properties and times that you are free
- Ensure all high priorities are completed by the end of the day
- Ensure that there is time to work on components that are important but not urgent each day
- Remember that sometimes may come across your desk because they are important/urgent to others but not yourself, just as things that are urgent to you may not be urgent to others
- Daily planner matrix
Q&A
- If something is urgent to you and you need cooperation from others however, it is not urgent to others how do you work around this?
- Questioning about what has been done before handing up the line
- Leaders who micromanage - how do you address a manager who has a crisis and makes their crisis become your crisis
- Courageous conversations
- It is all about the delivery of the conversation
- how can you support them in their role whether it is planning or taking some of the load off them
- Courageous conversations
I feel that over time I have gotten better at prioritising my tasks and identifying tasks that are important and urgent and focusing on those first. The key tool I help with my time management is the apple app 'Reminders'. It allows you to create a list, prioritise your tasks and even set day and time reminders that will sit on your home screen until you have marked these as complete.
A key point I have taken away from this session is the idea that you need to ensure that everyday you are working towards a task that is important but not urgent. This can allow for greater thought and creativity. This could be by researching for 10 minutes or having a conversation about a future event etc.
