McKays Article (Time Management)

Former US President and General Dwight Eisenhower said “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important” (McKay and McKay). Brett and Kate McKay, writers of the website The Art of Manliness, suggest that people often confuse what is what is urgent and what is important. Urgent tasks require immediate action and set people into what the authors refer to as the “reactive mode.” This mode sets a person on the defensive. Important tasks put one in an offensive, or responsive, mode, preparing the individual for the future. Important tasks should be the main focus of every person; however, it may be difficult to tell what is important and what is not. This is why author Stephen Covey developed the Eisenhower decision process into a four-square matrix in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The matrix is divided into four quadrants which divide tasks into their importance and urgency, so as to prioritize time effectively. Quadrant one is for the tasks which need to be taken care of right away and will benefit the individual in the long run, in other words that which is both urgent and important. The authors list crises, problems, and deadlines in the first quadrant. The second quadrant is where Covey suggests his readers should spend most of their time. This quadrant holds activities which are important but not urgent. These tasks better a person in the long term and include exercise, education, and meditation. Many people are caught in quadrant three, which contains the tasks which are urgent only. These activities often help other people fulfill their important tasks, but not one’s own goals. Examples of the third quadrant tasks include text messages, favors done for others, and some emails. Quadrant four is for leisure activities and distractions, such as television, games, and surfing favorite internet sites. While people should be focused on the second quadrant, they are often caught up in what author Douglas Rushkoff, in his book, Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, refers to as the present bias. The present bias is a theory that people live only “in the now” and have an inability to focus on long-term goals. This causes them to focus on what is urgent instead of what is important. People can overcome this tendency by planning out important tasks, like house work, so that they do not become quadrant one tasks. Quadrant three tasks need to be balanced between helping other people reach their long-term goals and the individual reaching their own. This is done, the McKay’s suggest, by learning to be assertive and when to say “no.” By doing this the individual can live in sector two, and truly enjoy the time they spend on the leisure sector, knowing everything is taken care of. (McKay and McKay)

Works Cited

McKay, Brett and Kate McKay. “The Eisenhower Decision Matrix: How to Distinguish Between Urgent and Important Tasks and Make Real Progress in Your Life.” The Art of Manliness. 23 Oct. 2013. Internet. 25 March 2015. <http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/10/23/eisenhower-decision-matrix/>.

McKays Article