Put First Things First

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen R. Covey

Habit 3 is the practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2. If Habit 1 says “You are the creator, you are in charge,” and Habit 2 is the first, mental creation, then Habit 3 is the second creation – the physical creation. It is the exercise of independent will toward becoming principle-centered. It is the day-by-day, moment-by-moment management of your life according to what matters most.

The Time Management Matrix

Covey introduces one of his most famous frameworks: the Time Management Matrix. Every activity in our lives can be categorized along two dimensions – urgency and importance – creating four quadrants.

The Four Quadrants

Quadrant I: Urgent and Important (Manage)

• Crises, pressing problems, deadline-driven projects
• A heart attack, a child’s broken arm, a project due tomorrow
• Cannot be ignored, but living here leads to stress and burnout

Quadrant II: Not Urgent but Important (Focus)

• Prevention, relationship building, planning, recreation, personal development
• Exercise, long-range planning, preparation, values clarification
• This is where highly effective people spend most of their time

Quadrant III: Urgent but Not Important (Avoid)

• Interruptions, some calls, some mail, some meetings
• Other people’s minor issues, pressing matters that seem urgent
• These activities meet other people’s priorities, not yours

Quadrant IV: Not Urgent and Not Important (Eliminate)

• Trivia, busywork, time wasters, pleasant activities
• Excessive TV, mindless scrolling, gossip, escape activities
• These provide no real value and should be minimized

The Power of Quadrant II

The heart of effective personal management is Quadrant II. This is where you do your long-range planning, anticipate and prevent problems, empower others, broaden your mind, increase your skills, and prepare for important presentations and projects.

Why Quadrant II Changes Everything

Quadrant II activities are not urgent, so they do not press upon you. You must act on them proactively. If you do not practice Habit 2 – if you do not have a clear sense of what is important – you will be easily diverted into responding to the urgent.

The more time you spend in Quadrant II, the less time you will spend in Quadrant I. Prevention, preparation, and planning reduce crises. Investing in relationships prevents conflicts. Exercise and healthy living prevent health emergencies. The paradox is that by investing time in what seems “not urgent,” you dramatically reduce the emergencies that consume your life.

People who live in Quadrants III and IV basically lead irresponsible lives. Effective people stay out of Quadrants III and IV because, urgent or not, they are not important. They also shrink Quadrant I down to size by spending more time in Quadrant II.

Saying No to Say Yes

To say “yes” to Quadrant II priorities, you have to learn to say “no” to other activities, sometimes apparently urgent things. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage – pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically – to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.” — Stephen R. Covey

The Quadrant II Organizing Tool

Covey advocates a weekly organizing process rather than daily planning. A week provides enough time to be meaningful but is short enough to stay connected to daily life. The key elements are:

1. Identify your roles for the week (individual, parent, manager, community member, etc.)
2. Select 2-3 important goals for each role – goals that are in Quadrant II
3. Schedule time for these goals on specific days
4. Adapt daily as needed, but always with your weekly goals in view
5. Evaluate at the end of the week

This approach is fundamentally different from prioritizing a to-do list. You are not reacting to what seems urgent. You are proactively scheduling what matters most.

Delegation: The Key to Growth

Covey identifies two types of delegation:

Gofer Delegation means “go for this, go for that.” It is micromanagement. You dictate every step and hover over the person. It is inefficient because you are still managing every method and detail.

Stewardship Delegation focuses on results, not methods. You clearly communicate:

• Desired Results: What needs to be accomplished (not how)
• Guidelines: The parameters, boundaries, and potential pitfalls
• Resources: What human, financial, technical, or organizational resources are available
• Accountability: The standards of performance and the time of evaluation
• Consequences: What will happen as a result of the evaluation – good and bad

Stewardship Delegation in Practice

Think of a task you currently do yourself that could be delegated. Apply the stewardship delegation framework:

• Define the desired result clearly, without dictating method
• Identify the guidelines and boundaries (what not to do, not what to do)
• Clarify available resources
• Set up accountability: when and how will results be evaluated?
• Specify the natural consequences of success and failure

Stewardship delegation builds the capabilities of others and frees you to focus on your highest-value Quadrant II activities. It takes more time upfront but saves enormous time in the long run.

The P/PC Balance in Action

Habit 3 embodies Covey’s P/PC Balance – the balance between Production (getting results) and Production Capability (maintaining the ability to produce). Spending all your time on urgent Quadrant I tasks is like running a machine at full capacity without maintenance. Eventually, it breaks down.

Reflection

Look at how you spent the last week. Estimate what percentage of your time fell into each quadrant. What are two or three Quadrant II activities that, if done consistently, would have the greatest positive impact on your life? What Quadrant III or IV activities could you reduce or eliminate to make room?

Key Takeaways

• The Time Management Matrix has four quadrants based on urgency and importance; Quadrant II (Important, Not Urgent) is where highly effective people invest their time
• Spending more time on prevention, planning, and relationship-building (Quadrant II) reduces crises (Quadrant I)
• Saying “no” to less important activities requires having a clear “yes” burning inside – knowing your deepest priorities
• Organize weekly around roles and goals, not daily around to-do lists, to stay aligned with what matters most
• Stewardship delegation (focused on results, not methods) builds others’ capabilities and multiplies your effectiveness
• The P/PC Balance reminds us to invest in our capacity to produce, not just in production itself