Sometimes we have so many things to do, that it seems impossible to squeeze them into a 24 hour day. Still, there is a way to make it possible in a harmless way. This method is world-known and is really simple and logical. You need to create a matrix first, one matrix for one aim (for example, an exam you need to pass).
So, here are the steps:
- Take a sheet of paper and divide it into four parts.
- Write A, B, C, D on each of the segments.
- Take a ready-made list of things, that you need to do in order to achieve your goal and write them into one of the segments, following the key:
Part “A” – Urgent and Important
These are the tasks, that are urgent and very important, so they should be taken care of first. You should try to complete them today or tomorrow. Make all the prearrangements if needed. Finish everything, that takes less than five minutes to complete, like making a phone call, registering on the website you will need for your studies and so on. Once you are done with this business, completing all the other tasks will appear much easier.
Part “B” – Not Urgent, but Important
As a rule, this is the part with the most important tasks, that influence the whole project the most. The tasks from this part should form your daily goals. For example, getting ready to your finals by reading books (if it is literature) or solving problems (if it is math of physics) are the things you should write down into this segment. It was proved, that successful people mainly spend their time completing tasks from this part, as they are the stairway to the top. Plus, once you are done with these tasks, you are more likely to have some free time, and everyone knows how important it is to relax.
Part “C” – Urgent, not Important
This is the part of the square, that shows mainly the things that distract you and keep you away from the goal, like a meeting that has no use or pleasure for you at all. It happens, that they lower the efficiency of the work, so try to avoid completing them if you can. You can deal with them, if everything from the part “A” is done, but if you think that segment “B” has something more important than what you are planning to do now, you would rather work on it.
Part “D” – Not Urgent and Not Important
Sometimes it is good to finish these tasks after you have finished all the previous ones. However, it often happens, that it is better to not do them at all. It is still good to write them down, as they are your main time parasites. Once you know, how they are of no use for you, you will avoid them in the future as well, like watching the news every evening.
