T I M E M A N A G E M E N T
We also have extremely important choices that don’t carry with
them any sense of urgency. Of course I should exercise regularly.
I know it’s good for me, mentally as well as physically. And I will.
I absolutely will. Just not right now. Hey, I’m four minutes late for
the department meeting.
Unless we take conscious control of our decision making, we’ll
tend to react to the urgent, even if it’s relatively unimportant, and
shun the important, unless it also carries a sense of urgency.
Asking the “Want To/Have To” Question
If all this business of dividing activities into four quadrants on an
important/urgent grid seems like a lot of work—and it is—here’s
an easier way to begin to gain control of your daily life.
Again, you’re going to need to develop a way to interrupt your-
self several times a day. These interruptions can coincide with
your mini-vacations, but they don’t have to.
Simply stop what you’re doing, take a breath, and ask yourself
the following:
“Is this what I want or need to be doing right now?”
You can, of course, modify the question to fit your own circum-
stances and your approach to life. (This version was created by
modifying the “Lakein Question” proposed by Alan Lakein in his
1973 book.) But be sure to touch on the three key elements:
Is this what I want
or need
to be doing right now?Note that it’s “or,” not “and.” Obviously, a task can be a long
way from what you’d really like to be doing and still be the thing
you need to do.