ABSTRACT
For effective time management, Stephen Covey advises that we should organise and execute around priorities. He divides activities into four quadrants according to their urgency and importance. Quadrant 1 represents things which are both urgent and important. Quadrant 2 represents things which are important, but not urgent. The activities contribute to achieving our goals and priorities but they do not have to be done right now. Quadrant 3 activities are distractions. Quadrant 4 is activities which are neither urgent nor important. By concentrating on Quadrant 2 activities, the 'fire fighting' Quadrant 1 activities decrease in number. Some tips for time management are planning and using a weekly to-do list rather than a daily to-do list, putting personal items and work items on the same calendar, cleaning up clutter, delegating as often as we can, picking our priorities very carefully, and avoiding procrastination.
