Sunday, January 30, 2011

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Entry #3

Habit Number Three: Put First Things First

Quadrant II. That is where I have the most trouble. I have no trouble admitting that. I'm not proud of it, either. I think it started in Middle School; I started a habit of waiting until the last minute to accomplish important things. It has been a habit that has lingered all through Middle School, High School, and even some of College. Since I have been at Samford, I have been forced to work ahead and get assignments completed early, but I still fall back into the bad habit sometimes. By waiting until the last minute, I increase Quadrant I tremendously, and Quadrant II becomes almost completely empty. Therefore, I become stressed, tired, irritable, and upset when I have to rush to complete an activity. However, if I had worked at it ahead of time, it would have been fine. Obviously, there are no issues when it comes to activities/assignments that I enjoy. (like creating a showchoir!) Those activities fall directly into Quadrant II and are not an issue. 

I know I need to change. It's become much better than it used to be, but it still lingers quite often. Covey's Quadrant II Tool includes 6 Criteria by which I need to start working toward:
Coherance, Balance, Quadrant II Focus,("The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities") A "People" Dimension, Flexibility, and Portability. 

By adapting to a new way of working and organizing, I can hopefully develop a life of successful Personal Management.

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