One of my esteemed readers who responded to last week’s Minute on patience reminded me about Stephen R. Covey’s Time Management Matrix, outlined in his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey was one of the pioneers in the leadership development field, and contributed greatly to our understanding of how we can improve our personal effectiveness. His premise is that personal effectiveness is the essential foundation for good leadership.

Food for Thought ~

Covey identified the two factors that define how we choose to spend our time ~ urgency and importance. The most effective people spend their time on activities that are important but not urgent. Some examples include: identifying opportunities, relationship building, capacity development, prevention, and planning. Recreation is also included in this category because it’s important to “re-create” yourself, whether it’s with a mid-day walk, a weekend without your smart phone, or spending quality time with loved ones.

Question for the day ~

What percentage of your time do you spend on activities that are important but not urgent?

In Closing ~

“Leadership is different from management; it’s more of an art, based on a philosophy. You have to ask the ultimate questions of life when you’re dealing with personal leadership issues.” Stephen R. Covey

With kind regards,

Mary