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The Magic of Quadrant Two

Once upon a time

I was house sitting

Not just any house

This was an off-grid cabin

Positioned on the side of a steep green mountain 

Which overlooked the ocean in the far distance

I had a Great Dane puppy to care for

As well as four peacocks

Two alpacas

And a bunch of chickens & guinea fowl 

It was my version of heaven

But at the time

I was pretty miserable

It had been a rough year

I felt like I was wasting my time on this earth

My intentions to work hard were met with the reality of me feeling exhausted and unmotivated

And anytime I wanted to just rest & relax

I spent it feeling like I didn’t deserve to

Then I turned a page in a book (literally) and found something 

The Eisenhower Matrix 

It’s a very simple way of categorising the things you do

Four Quadrants

#1 - Important & Urgent

#2 - Important & Not Urgent 

#3 - Not Important & Urgent

#4 - Not Important & Not Urgent 

If you need a visual example: https://www.bishophouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Effective-Personal-Management-with-Covey-The-4-Quads.pdf 

Okay

Why would this be important?

Well

If I can measure things

I can build awareness

And if I have better awareness

Then I can make better choices

Bingo

Think about the things you do

Social media, watching the news, practicing, being in nature, managing finances, playing playstation, exercising, meditating, complaining, journaling, charity, gossiping, Yoga, class, studying, washing the car, eating good nutrition, holidays, eating junk food, family time, date nights, travelling, fishing, sleeping, checking Bitcoin, reading, working, rehearsing, building side hustles, emailing, cleaning, swiping, laundry, groceries, going out with great friends, going out with de-energising people, idol time, scrolling, thinking about things which are out of your control, sitting on the loo, etc etc etc

Put them in the box you think is most appropriate 

Be as uncomfortably honest with yourself as you can

Now

Here’s an interesting question

Which quadrant do you think top performers prioritise?

When I first did this exercise, my instinctual response was Quadrant #1

Things which are most important and need to be done immediately, right?

Nope

This quadrant equals stress, burnout, fatigue and feeling unmotivated 

So where do top performers aim to spend most of their time?

Quadrant #2

Important & Not Urgent

Things which you value most

And can be seen as an investment of your time rather than something you need to scramble to get done

Some possible examples of Quadrant #2 activities…

Meditating

Journaling

Meal prep

Quality training/practice

Getting quality guidance 

Spending time with people who you feel energised around

Calling people you love

Having difficult conversations

Helping others

Date night

Sitting in nature 

Dancing like you did when you were 5

Exercise

Afternoon nap/rest

Etc etc

What do you value most & doesn’t actually need to get done by the end of the day or week?

What do you know will steer you toward the future you would like to build for yourself?

What will help you put your head on the pillow at night feeling proud/grateful?

You get the picture

This is for you to decide 

Have fun experimenting with this

Maybe that 30 minutes of Simpsons is very important to you?

You do you boo boo!

Now, what to do about the activities in each of these categories? 

#1 - Important & Urgent = Learn to manage them well

#2 - Important & Not Urgent =Learn to prioritise them well

#3 - Not Important & Urgent =  Learn to delegate them well

#4 - Not Important & Not Urgent = Learn to delete them.

I got a shock when I put pen to paper on this one

I realised there was a pretty big difference between who I thought I was and where most of my actions were actually spent

I’ll leave you with a question I love exploring…

What is actually worth rushing for?

Hope this helps

x

Sheasby 

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The Actor’s Blueprint Podcast

Latest Episode

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-actors-blueprint/id1581061602 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0oBA4q5nZGNV8Deaa2FLJS 

x Sheasby 

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