ITC Leadership Lecture Series Habit 3:

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2. When packing a suitcase, the more neatly you fold and organize your clothes, the
better they fit in the suitcase. But if you just throw them in the suitcase, notice that
not all will fit.
Life is also like that, we need to organize our tasks so that we can pack in more time
for all the important activities in our life.
To help in packing more into your life, here is an amazing model: The Time Quadrant
The time quadrant is made of two ingredients:
• Important – things that are important to you and contribute to your mission and
goals
• Urgent – activities that demand your immediate attention
(Next slide)
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3. There are 4 quadrants in time management.
Quadrant 1: Things that are important AND urgent.
There will always be some things in our life that we can’t control and must be taken
care of as soon as possible. But if you are always on this quadrant, then it is not
healthy anymore.
Meet The Procrastinator
The Procrastinator doesn’t work on a task until it is close to deadline even if the task
has been given months before the deadline. His motto is, “I’m going to start
procrastinating – sometime soon.”
The procrastinator believes that he does better if he’s under pressure. But the truth is
the output of his performances are always mediocre because he isn’t well prepared.
The results of too much time in Q1 are:
- Stress and anxiety
- Burnout
- Mediocrity
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5. Quadrant 3: Things that are Not Important but Urgent
Now, when we think of things that are urgent, most of the time, we assume that it is
also important. But it is not always the case. But really it is not always the case. For
example, a ringing phone is urgent (you need to answer it immediately) but the
conversation may not be important.
People who stay in Q3 are people who try to please other people. Meet the Yes-Man.
He has a hard time saying no to anything or anyone. This one easily gives in to peer
pressure. He tries hard to please everyone because he is afraid to offend anyone.
For example, a friend may ask him to troubleshoot his computer for him during office
hours, he easily caves in without having to go through the process (call ITC > Service
Request > Queue Request) and even though he has some other more important
things to do (like finishing an important report, etc.)
Results of overstaying in Q3:
• Feel victimized (everybody will now ask you for a favor)
• Reputation for being a ‘pleaser’
• Lack of discipline
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6. Quadrant 4: Not Important + Not Urgent
Meet the Slacker
He doesn’t do his duties and responsibilities. He only does things that are enjoyable
to him (but not important) like watching TV, surfing the net, play video games, etc.
It is not bad to do these things for relaxation. But if all you do all day is slack with no
thought of tomorrow or your duties, then you are not just relaxing anymore, you are
simply being lazy!
Results of Q4 lifestyle:
• Lack of discipline
• Irresponsibility
• Fired from jobs
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7. Quadrant 2: Important + Not Urgent
Sean Covey in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens calls this the quadrant of
excellence.
Meet the Prioritizer
He does every important thing on time with the best quality. He not only can do the
more important things but he also time to relax and have time with his friends and
family. His motto is, “Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late.”
He knows how to say no to things or people that pressure him to do some thing that
is not important in his life.
Results of being in Q2:
• Excellent performance
• Control of your life
• Balance
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8. But how to spend more time in Q2? Pick up a planner!
Plan Weekly
Have you ever tried the big-rock experiment? Try filling a bucket with small pebbles.
Now, try putting in big rocks. Chances are, the big rocks don’t all fit. But if you put in
your big rocks first and then the small pebbles, chances are all of your big rocks fit in
the bucket plus the pebbles!
That is how we should plan our weekly/daily lives.
Identify the big rocks first or the tasks that you are MORE IMPORTANT to accomplish
(e.g. meetings, finish report, etc.), then block out time for these. When you have
blocked out time for the more important tasks, you can now put in other smaller
plans, like going to the mall, watching TV, surfing the net, etc.
Adapt Daily
You may or may not put in deadlines to your plans or schedules. But you may also
have to re-schedule your tasks if you think it is necessary to do so.
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