4. Time Use and Efficiency - Article 1: The Curse of the To-Do-List

Everyone is on the go all the time! Add to that the urgency everyone feels for everything, it can feel like time is running out and we have no ability to fulfil our obligations, let alone take some you time. Managing our time effectively can be one of the best ways to reduce our stress, and thus, improve our health!

In my time both as a leadership consultant and health coach I have had the opportunity to explore time management and productivity, which has allowed myself and countless clients to feel more able to take charge of their lives.

The Curse of the To-Do-List

We have all been there! Drowning in tasks, not knowing where to start or what action to take. Quick! Pass the pen and paper. My to-do-list will solve all my problems.

Now, there is some benefit to writing out what we think we need to do. It organises our brain and often just getting things out can give relief.

However, it can be really fucking overwhelming seeing 2,173 tasks you need to complete in the 17 minutes you think you have to accomplish them all!

Then, we look for the things we can achieve quickly or we enjoy doing just so we can start ticking things off. The sad reality is, they didn’t matter! Or at the very least, they could wait.

Now, if we are all perfectly honest with ourselves, we know the to-do-list is never going to be truly complete!

Step forwards, the Eisenhower Matrix!

I first came across this in maybe 2017 and have been using it ever since. I find whenever I have loads to do, categorising it this way helps me make productive decisions, rather than ones to just make me feel better, because the reality is even if you do those easy, feel-good jobs and tick them off, those massive, horrible jobs you’ve been avoiding will still be there - just with a tighter deadline!

Since then, I have read ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen R. Covey, which I can’t recommend enough for anyone and everyone, regardless of circumstance or profession. In Habit 3 - Put First Things First, Covey clearly explains how to use the Matrix (albeit named ‘The Four Quadrants of Time Management) even more effectively.

It is something I work with individuals in both of my businesses as I think it has so much carryover in both professional and personal lives, even if interpretations of urgent, etc. might be different.

Quadrant 1 is essentially CRISIS! These are crucial and must be done to a deadline. These are what you should start with every day. In different circumstances what is urgent will be different - at work it may be a safety concern, while at home it may be taking your child to a club. It is up to you, with your different hats on, to decide what is truly important to you.

Quadrant 2 is what I refer to as ‘paying it forwards’, in that the more time we can give to this quadrant, the less tasks will be presented in other quadrants. It is believed that most individuals give 5% of their time to this quadrant, whereas the most effective leaders are estimated to spend around 30% of their time in this quadrant. The two most important tasks in this section, in my opinion, are developing relationships and systems. Improved relationships often lead to less issues being caused int the first place or they are directly addressed before they become bigger. Systems allow us to be more efficient at everything we do and avoid accidents.

Quadrant 3 I refer to as “Have you got a minute?” This is where people bring us issues or questions which they want solving there and then but probably aren’t exactly crucial. The most effective way I have found to reduce tasks in this quadrant is through delegation - often strong relationships and systems will need to be established first for this to work.

Quadrant 4 is typically just a waste of time. These are the jobs which actually can either wait or just don’t need doing. Sometimes these can be delegated, although you have to then weigh up the impact of adding ‘waste’ to someone else’s workload or commitments. As a general rule, I say put these at the bottom of the pile. If you magically have time to do them - great. However, if, say a week, has gone by and you haven’t been chased up about it or it hasn’t gotten worse, then you might be able to just not do it at all!

By taking time to assess the gravity of the tasks required of us, it not only helps us direct our time more effectively but it often makes us feel better as there are less dumpster fires than we initially thought. I appreciate the irony of adding a job to reduce your workload but trust me and give it a go!

For more information on the Eisenhower Matrix, the caption to the above image is hyper linked but there is loads of information out there about it, including as previously mentioned ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’.

Future articles will include embracing our internal clocks, time and place and then some general suggestions. Subscribe to receive notification of the next article.