These are the ones he believes people are likely to neglect, but should focus on to achieve effectiveness. His quadrant 2 (not the same as the quadrant II in a Cartesian coordinate system) has the items that are non-urgent but important. This is his 2x2 matrix: classifying tasks as urgent and non-urgent on one axis, and important or non-important on the other axis. Eisenhower (see: The Eisenhower Method), categorizing tasks into whether they are urgent and whether they are important, recognizing that important tasks may not be urgent, and urgent tasks are not necessarily important. He uses a time management formulation attributed to Dwight D. In the book, Covey describes a framework for prioritizing work that is aimed at long-term goals, at the expense of tasks that appear to be urgent, but are in fact less important. Asserting that people have a need 'to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy' they propose moving beyond 'urgency'. Using the analogy of 'the clock and the compass,' the authors assert that identifying primary roles and principles provides a 'true north' and reference when deciding what activities are most important, so that decisions are guided not merely by the 'clock' of scheduling but by the 'compass' of purpose and values. The book asserts that there are three generations of time management: first-generation task lists, second-generation personal organizers with deadlines, and third-generation values clarification as incorporated in the Franklin Planner. The approach is a further development of the approach popularized in Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and other titles. It offers a time management approach that, if established as a habit, is intended to help readers achieve 'effectiveness' by aligning themselves to 'First Things'. A weekly worksheet to identify roles and plan important activities before filling in entire schedule.įirst Things First (1994) is a self-help book written by Stephen Covey, A.

4 quadrant planning template