If you apply the Covey time management matrix to your own professional and private life, you will notice that the majority of your activities can be found within quadrant I and III. These time wasters should be eliminated at any costs. The fourth and last quadrant focuses on tasks and responsibilities that do not yield any value-items that are unimportant and not urgent.
Quadrant IV – activities with little to no value. Covey recommends minimizing or even eliminating these tasks as they do not contribute to your output. The third quadrant is reserved for tasks that are urgent, without being important. Quadrant III – distractions with high urgency. Covey points out that this quadrant should be used for long-term strategizing. The second quadrant is for items that are important without requiring immediate action. Quadrant II – long-term development and strategizing. The first quadrant contains tasks and responsibilities that need immediate attention. Quadrant I – important deadlines with high urgency. Here’s a summary of the meaning of each quadrant: Not dealing with these issues will cause immediate consequences. These activities are often tightly linked to the accomplishment of someone else’s goal. Urgent responsibilities require immediate attention. Important responsibilities contribute to the achievement of your goals. The matrix, also known as Eisenhower’s Urgent-Important Principle, distinguishes between importance and urgency: Source: Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Covey’s system makes use of four different quadrants that allow you to prioritize tasks in relation to their importance and urgency, helping you to decide whether you need to address a task immediately or if you can postpone it.Īs you can see from the graphic below, the time management matrix is separated into four quadrants that are organized by importance and urgency. The idea of using four quadrants to determine the priority of a task was introduced by American keynote speaker Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. 
Covey’s matrix allows you to organize your priorities much better than before. But how is it possible to cope with the flood of tasks that all require our immediate attention? In a time where missing deadlines is not an option, the Covey time management grid can help you to manage your available time more efficiently. So why is it that some people are able to accomplish so much more than the majority of the population? One possible explanation can be found in their skill to manage time more efficiently than others. Although time seems to fly by, we all have the same 24 hours a day.
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