ra
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Post by ra on May 20, 2015 4:11:42 GMT -5
I've become aware lately that I am not taking notice of priorities and this creates the situation of me doing things when I am either too tired to do an adequately good job of them or leaving them until it creates a minor crisis. Sticking to priorities is difficult with my easily distracted brain but it makes my days significantly calmer and I get more quality time at the end of the day. I have decided I am going back to the quadrant way of deciding what needs to be done next...recognising what are my priorities. I don't know how many people are aware of the quadrant method but it has been very useful for me and finding it was a big lightbulb moment for me so I thought I would post in the hope it might help someone else I think I first found out about it when researching stuff about Steven Covey. There is lots out there about it, if you search "quadrant of priorities" it should yield something if you want to research it further. Basically what you do is take a piece of paper and divide it into 4 squares...then number and name them as following 1. urgent and important 2. important not urgent 3. urgent but not important 4. not important and not urgent then you write what you need to do assigning each task to the appropriate quadrant. hopefully in time you find yourself concentrating on quadrant 2 and as a result ( hopefully ) there is rarely anything in quadrant 1 ( urgent and important ) because you have been dealing with stuff before it gets to the urgent stage. I hope this makes sense, I hope I haven't missed loads of other threads already on here about this and I hope it helps someone
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Post by ohblondie on May 20, 2015 7:22:18 GMT -5
Johari's window....sorta kinda.
Great idea!!! A new way to reframe things. Sometimes I get hung up on things that are not urgent and not important because I can get them done and cross them off my list. But it really just wastes my time.
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ra
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Post by ra on May 20, 2015 7:32:11 GMT -5
Ooh ohblondie I haven't heard of Johari's window...I will look that up For me the "not important and not urgent" category is full of fun things...my distractions . I think I might re-name that square "rewards"...so I give myself permission to do them after the tough stuff.
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Post by ohblondie on May 20, 2015 7:34:10 GMT -5
I like the idea of a rewards window....... ra
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Post by RoadRunner on May 20, 2015 7:55:37 GMT -5
Very interestings ra did just a small bit of reading and I need to learn more. Balance would be my problem I think everything is urgent and any thing that I personally want is not important not urgent. Will check this out a bit more.
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Post by Script on May 20, 2015 8:23:35 GMT -5
Someone in our SooS community posted a link to a PROCRASTINATION article on a website called "Wait but why". This is the article: waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.htmlIf the link doesn't work, just google, "Dark Playground" and you can find the article. I read the article (Part I), then continued to Park II. There is now also a Part III. Which discusses the "4 quadrant/matrix" theory. It can also be found through Google under "Eisenhower Matrix" and other time-management materials. I think there is even an APP you can buy. The Dark Playground article also mention Stephen Covey. Inspired by what I read, I then bought Covey's bestseller: "7 habits of highly effective people" and am reading it (iPad mini). Very interesting at this stage in my life (retired, no work duties: but "just the rest of my life") I find myself through the day asking myself: "What am I doing? Is this urgent/important or what?" Hugely helpful for self-awareness.
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Post by joyinvirginia on May 20, 2015 8:33:15 GMT -5
This is a great topic ra! I read the Stephen Covey book years ago and did like that way to categorize tasks and goals. I will have to look up the Joharis window. I have read the Dark Playground articles in the past sometime also and recall that was good info. interesting good for thought!
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ra
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Post by ra on May 20, 2015 9:25:50 GMT -5
Hi Script and joyinvirginia I found the dark playground link very interesting...very!!! I do like that book by steven covey, I think it is something that can be revisited time and time again. I also like the teachings of Bob Proctor (especially his stuff about paradigms) and Earl Nightingale, even though they seem to be aimed at business people I find them immensely helpful for general self improvement. I do like to listen to Earl Nightingale on You Tube to put me in a working and enthusiastic frame of mind....especially the one about the magic word (attitude ).
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ra
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Post by ra on May 20, 2015 10:21:11 GMT -5
I just had a look at the Johari's window ohblondie ...what a wonderful tool! This will be very useful for some event planning I'm having to sort this Summer. Thanks for that
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Post by joyinvirginia on May 20, 2015 10:30:39 GMT -5
Ok this is all script s fault! You just had to mention there was a part three of the Dark Playground procrastinator series. It's your fault my Instant Gratification Monkey DRAGGED ME over to read that. I didn't want to, but oh no, that Monkey had to have what it wanted RIGHT THAT MINUTE! it's all because of script. And ra for starting this thread! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
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Post by angela on May 20, 2015 23:46:12 GMT -5
Thank you for reminding me about the quadrant method ra. I read Stephen Covey's book several years ago now and found an awful lot of help in his ideas. So often I don't have energy to do the important while it's still in box 2.
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ra
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Post by ra on May 21, 2015 6:39:26 GMT -5
Script and joyinvirginia I have a toy monkey somewhere, I am seriously thinking of putting him in my current crafts box to remind me to go do the important stuff before I go play! angela I don't know your circumstances but keep in mind box 2 doesn't have to be done all at once ...be kind to yourself and if you can, chose just once thing best wishes, ra
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Post by angela on May 21, 2015 23:07:37 GMT -5
Did anybody notice that on the procrastination website, there are stuffed animals to buy, the Panic Monster and the Instant Gratification Monkey?? store.waitbutwhy.com/collections/plush-toysThank you ra. Over time, I will be lowering my responsibilities so that box 2 just isn't so full to begin with. And of course, stop hanging out in box 4 (not urgent, not important)
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Post by larataylor on May 22, 2015 7:04:44 GMT -5
What's an example of urgent but not important? I'm having trouble imagining what would go there.
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Post by eatingbonbons on May 22, 2015 21:19:31 GMT -5
What's an example of urgent but not important? I'm having trouble imagining what would go there. Hmmm. Maybe responding to someone else's crisis. Sara locked her keys in the car and she needs you to take her to her appointment (which could be rescheduled). Responding to ringing telephones and text messages. I think that's it. Things that are important to someone else but not to you.
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