Time Management 🌎

Effective scheduling is a fundamental part of good time management. A strong, realistic schedule can help you stay on track towards your goals and help prevent you from spending time on less important tasks. In this topic, learners are taught how and when to assign time to high and low priority tasks in order to maximize their efficiency and complete tasks well, and on time.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

This topic is currently available in English.Translated content is typically AI-generated, and in some instances, it’s been human-reviewed. Revie the list below for translation details within this topic.

• English

• French

  • Questions = human-translated

1. Schedule specific times to work on large or unpleasant tasks to prevent you from procrastinating. If they are in the schedule, they are harder to avoid working on.

2. Reduce distractions and increase your efficiency by designating time each day to answer phone calls, emails, and to speak with staff, so you don’t have to continuously stop in the middle of a project to do so.

3. During your designated time to answer emails, phone calls etc., answer the most important/urgent messages, and leave the others for later to minimize the distraction and maintain your momentum.

4. Schedule important, high-priority tasks at times when you have the smallest number of distractions, such as in the early morning when fewer people are working, to help you maintain focus on your task.

5. Add time to your schedule to allow for unexpected interruptions that may arise. If you allocate time in advance for this, you don’t have to take the time from another task to account for it.

6. Schedule large, high-priority projects at times when you are in the “zone”, which is the time you are at your best, have the most energy, and are most productive. This will help you focus and be more prepared to achieve your goals.

7. Schedule similar tasks together or consecutively, so you don’t have to drastically change your mindset when you switch tasks. This will allow your brain to focus more quickly on the new task, and allow you to increase your productivity.

8. Schedule your daily tasks in advance, either at the start or end of each day. Make sure you schedule the most important tasks first, and aren’t shifting between several tasks at once, as this makes them harder to complete.

9. Take small, frequent breaks to refresh your mind and body; allowing them a chance to refocus can help increase your productivity.

The Eisenhower Matrix is based on the following quote from US President Dwight D. Eisenhower: “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent”. While today’s workforce is not tasked with making decisions on a national scale, employees need to be able to prioritize tasks effectively. In this topic, learners are taught about the four types of tasks/priorities that make up the Eisenhower Matrix and how they can help employees manage their time better. This topic includes a video to introduce key concepts.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

Translated content is typically AI-generated, and in some instances, it’s been human-reviewed. Revie the list below for translation details within this topic.

• English

• French

  • Questions = human-translated

  • Video = AI-translated

1. The Eisenhower Matrix, or Urgent Important Matrix, is a time management model designed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th US President, which compares the urgency of a task with its importance in order to set priorities.

2. Important tasks are the tasks that bring you closer to your goals and must be done by you.

3. The Eisenhower Matrix has four quadrants that each represent a priority level:

   · Q1: ‘priority one’, important and urgent tasks

   · Q2: ‘priority two’, important but not urgent tasks

   · Q3: ‘priority three’, not important but urgent tasks

   · Q4: ‘priority four’, not important and not urgent tasks

4. The first quadrant, known as the “stress” or “do” quadrant, includes ‘priority one’ tasks. These are tasks that must be done immediately and personally by you, such as crises, deadlines, and problems.

5. There are two types of ‘priority one’ tasks: tasks you could not have anticipated and tasks you left to the last minute. This means ‘priority two’ and ‘three’ tasks can move into ‘priority one’, often as a result of poor planning or delegation.

6. The second quadrant, known as the “decide” or “schedule” quadrant, includes ‘priority two’ tasks. These are tasks that must be done by you but can be postponed and/or scheduled for another day, such as relationships and planning.

7. The third quadrant, known as the “delegate” quadrant, includes ‘priority three’ tasks. These are tasks that prevent you from completing your goals, can be rescheduled, or delegated to someone else, such as meetings and interruptions.

8. The fourth quadrant, known as the “delete” or “eliminate” quadrant, includes ‘priority four’ tasks. These are tasks that no one is directly responsible for and that don’t need to be done today, such as time wasters, pleasant activities, and trivial tasks. These can be ignored, canceled, or rescheduled for the long term because they tend to solve themselves.

9. Urgent tasks are those that require immediate attention, but not necessarily your attention, and are often linked to someone else’s goals.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a popular time management model used to help people prioritize their daily tasks in the most productive way possible, by assessing the importance and urgency of each task. In this topic, learners are taught how to determine which quadrant a task should go in, as well as how the tasks in each quadrant should be completed once they are assigned to encourage maximum efficiency and productivity. This topic includes a video to introduce key concepts.

• Questions (level 1, 2, 3)

• Video module

Translated content is typically AI-generated, and in some instances, it’s been human-reviewed. Revie the list below for translation details within this topic.

• English

• French

  • Questions = human-translated

  • Video = AI-translated

1. List all the tasks, projects, and activities you must do, even those that seem unimportant; if they take up time, list them. This is the first step towards prioritizing your tasks.

2. Evaluate each task on your list, and assign it to one of the four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix. This will allow you to determine which tasks should be done first and develop a schedule for the rest.

3. To determine which quadrant each task should be assigned to, ask yourself whether the task needs to be done by you personally, and whether it needs to be done today or within a few hours. If you answer:

   · Yes/Yes: quadrant/ ‘priority one’

   · Yes/No: quadrant/ ‘priority two’

   · No/Yes: quadrant/ ‘priority three’

   · No/No: quadrant/ ‘priority four’

4. Complete quadrant one tasks first, ideally in the first 90 minutes of your work day if you can, checking them off as you complete them. This will help you get impactful work done, allow you to get smaller tasks done, and give you a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

5. You should spend most of your time working on tasks in the first two quadrants, as these are the tasks that contribute the most to your goals, instead of spending your time reacting to every immediate issue in quadrant three.

6. Assign each task in quadrant two a start and end date. This will help you schedule the tasks more effectively, so you can make sure you have enough time to complete them and so they don’t become quadrant one tasks.

7. Try to delegate as many tasks in quadrant three as possible so that you can focus your time on the tasks that need your personal attention. Even though quadrant three tasks may require immediate attention, they don’t necessarily demand YOUR attention.

8. Limit the number of tasks in quadrant three by politely encouraging people to solve their own problems, or by scheduling time when you are available for people to come talk to you.

9. Rather than completely ignoring tasks in quadrant four, spend five percent or less of your working time on these tasks. This allows them to be completed in a way that doesn’t waste your time.