Time Management Grid
People live in a time-pressured world where it is common to have multiple overlapping commitments that all require immediate attention. Urgency is no longer reserved for special occasions; it is an everyday occurrence.
Missing deadlines is not the path to advancement or even good job reviews, so how can one manage the flood of responsibilities, do excellent work, and maintain a positive frame of mind? The Covey Time Management Grid is an effective method of organizing your priorities.1 As you can see from the grid below, there are four quadrants organized by urgency and importance.
| URGENT | NOT URGENT | |
|---|---|---|
| IMPORTANT | Quadrant I: Urgent & Important | Quadrant II: Not Urgent & Important |
| NOT IMPORTANT | Quadrant III: Urgent & Not Important | Quadrant IV: Not Urgent & Not Important |
- Quadrant I is for the immediate and important deadlines.
- Quadrant II is for long-term strategizing and development.
- Quadrant III is for time-pressured distractions. They are not really important, but someone wants action now.
- Quadrant IV is for those activities that yield little if any value. These are activities that are often used for taking a break from time-pressured and important activities.
Many people find that most of their activities fall into Quadrants I and III. Quadrant II is often underused. Yet, Quadrant II is exceptionally important, because one must work both tactically and strategically at the same time. Finding ways to expand Quadrant II activities is a common outcome from using this grid.
Using the Grid
The grid has many applications; two will be suggested here. The first and most obvious use of the grid is to take your current to-do list and sort all the activities into the appropriate grid. Then, assess the amount of time you have to accomplish the lists, and if necessary, reallocate activities.
The second approach is a one-week assessment strategy. Make six copies of the grid (an example of a working copy is below), and use one grid for each day of the week, listing all activities and time spent. At the end of the week, combine the five individual days' data onto one summary grid (Number 6), and calculate the percent of time in each grid. Then evaluate how well your time is spent and whether your workload needs to be reorganized.
The bottom line is, do important things first!
| Quadrant I: Urgent & Important | Quadrant II: Not Urgent & Important |
|---|---|
| Quadrant III: Urgent & Not Important | Quadrant IV: Not Urgent & Not Important |
Reference
Covey's Time Management Grid was developed by Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
- Covey, S. (2004, January 4). The 7 habits of highly effective people (reprinted). New York: Simon and Schuster.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of Employee and Organizational Development. (n.d.). Time management grid. Retrieved June 21, 2024, from https://www.usgs.gov