"The key is not to priortize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
To implement this, you have to figure out and define your priorites...which is where Habits 1 and 2 come in. Maybe you think you want to do better in math, but you always seem to be going to the mall with some new friends in lieu of working on math homework. So, you set a goal to do more math homework. But it doesn't happen. You wonder why you fail at your goal. Then you analyze yourself, and realize that fostering new relationships with people is more congruent with your values than doing well in a math class. It's important to decide what's important to you. Life's too short to feel guilty about what you should be doing. (I give this example very hypocritically.)
"It is the fourth human endowment--independent will--that really makes effective self-management possible."
It's good advice to work in Quadrant II. But you've got to want to do it. School is really important to me. Because of how important it is to me, I think I manage school work quite well. If I have an assignment due Wednesday, it is extremely rare that I'll still be working on it on Tuesday. It's more likely to be done by Sunday. This does two things: if Quadrant I stuff comes up, I have a cushion to still get the assignment done. And, if someone says on Tuesday night, "Want to go to _______?" I can say yes, because my work is done. It opens opportunities and decreases stress.
My word of advice to college students: move all your deadlines ahead.
Good practical example, with going to the mall being a Quad IV activity and working ahead and planning out math homework time being Quad II.
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy of going to the mall...maybe that is what I'm doing wrong! ha ha ha. No, but seriously, good job in pointing out the key points of the chapter. And yes, it is important to learn to work in quadrant II, even though it is hard sometimes. It is a good idea to move my deadlines ahead. Good entry...and I love the picture!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are a college student too, you know... But seriously, I defintiely agree... I use post it notes frequently to help remind myself constantly. and even when I wake up in the morning, I put my alarm clock five minutes fast so that I think that I am late, and it helps me hurry up in the mornings.
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