Defining Activities level of urgency How urgent is the activity When must we work on it If we define the task as urgent it requires immediate attention Urgent tasks often act on us we react to them Drop everything else to work on it However these activities may or may not be important Defining Activities level of importance How important is the activity Is the task related to achieving desirable results Is it a high priority Meaning does the activity contribute to reaching your goals How are spending your time How much of your day is spent on activities of low importance How much time do you spend on urgent activities THE TIME MANAGEMENT MATRIX Important Not Urgent I ACTIVITIES Crises Pressing problems Projects driven by deadlines which surprise us II ACTIVITIES Prevention Relationship building Recognizing new opportunities Planning Not important Urgent III ACTIVITIES Interruptions some calls Some mail some reports Some meetings Proximate matters Popular activities IV ACTIVITIES Trivia busy work Some mail Some phone calls Time wasters Pleasant activities If spending time on important things makes sense how can you do it How do important tasks that are urgent differ from important tasks that are not urgent