Challenge Title: Staying in Quad 2

•	Prevention
•	Planning
•	Created Needed Recreation
•	Building Relationships
•	Recognizing Opportunities

Challenge Description

•	On a typically day, most of us find ourselves involved in activities that do not enable us to produce our best work. Staying focused on Quad 2 (important but not urgent) activities will reduce the amount of time you spend in other less productive quads.
•	How do you do that?
•	Avoid the WASTE Quadrant 4 This is the only set of activities with which you have 100% control. These activities do not produce results. This is not recreation for relaxation and rejuvenation.
•	(Note: Television is included in this quadrant, but this is mindless TV, not shows that a person sets out to purposely watch each week.)
•	Minimize Quadrant 3, the Distraction Quad Thus called because you can be fooled or can fool yourself into thinking that these activities are important. Keep the time spent on these activities in perspective. Quad 3 is all about COMMUNICATION
•	Manage Quadrant 1, the "Necessity" Quad. Thus called this because unexpected things happen. Spend only as much time in the crisis as needed. We have a tendency to throw ourselves into a crisis and STAY there. Handle the crises and get out. This can be partly achieved by being organized and knowing where you left off and how to get back into it.
•	Focus on Quadrant 2, "Leadership and Quality Quad." Thus called because these activities move you toward goal achievement higher leverage activities

Benefit of Changing Course

The lesson has to do with maintaining the upper hand over the amount of paper information that is constantly coming our way. The benefit of this maintenance is:

1.	Staying focused on Quad 2 activities, decreases the amount of time you spend in the other less productive quadrants
2.	Be more productive by choosing those activities which produce your best work
3.	Being aware of which Quad you are in, improves your chances of working on important and not urgent activities
4.	Achieve goals by staying focused on Quad 2 activities.

Organizing by Degrees™: Step by Step Implementation

A few specific examples:
Step one is to ask yourself, “Am I in Quad 2?”

•

Prevention

•	Make sure your direct reports know the level of involvement you require to be kept in the loop on their projects and activities.
•	Make sure your are aware of how to manage information "up" to your manager.
•	Know why your participation in a meeting before attending. Train your admin to ask, "What is this meeting about?"

•

Planning

•	Spend the first and last 10 minutes of every day email free
•	Do not sit at your desk as soon as you arrive at work. Stand and review your day
•	Spend some time EVERYDAY looking forward to what is coming down the pike
•	Use a white board or other easily visible tool to keep “big Picture” items accessible
•	Block your calendar for planning time and deadline driven activities.
•	Work backwards form the "due date" to create "do days"

•

Created Needed Recreation

•	Take a lunch away from your desk
•	Plan a long delayed lunch with friend or colleaguey
•	Schedule a date night with your spouse or partner even it can’t happen for 6 weeks.
•	Make it to your kid’s next sports event or school activity
•	Listen to books on tape in your car (free from most public libraries)

•

Building Relationships

•	Know what is important to other people. Track their birthdays, anniversaries (use Outlook Contacts for this function)
•	When spending time with colleagues or direct reports give them your full attention. Do not multi-task

•

Recognizing Opportunities

•	Be open to all possibilities
•	Listen to people you admire and respect
•	Be available for change. Don’t dismiss items out of hand.

Exercise: By When

Set aside some time to DEPILE the paper in your office

•	Pick 3 three of the above suggestions which would have the biggest impact on your Quad Two commitment
•	Plan which order you will implement them in
•	Implement 1 at a time.
•	Commit to a time for each implementation

Further More

Print the Quad Chart and keep it visible.

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