The third quadrant is reserved for tasks that are urgent, without being important. Planning, Preparing, Training, Exercise, health, and recreation Quadrant III – distractions with high urgency: Investing time in these areas might not be urgent at the present day, but in the long term, it will be of the greatest importance.
This quadrant is not only reserved for strategic planning, but also to items related to health, education, exercise, and career. Covey points out that this quadrant should be used for long-term strategizing. The second quadrant is for items that are important without requiring immediate action. Crises, Pressing problems, Projects that are deadline driven, Emergencies, Last-minute preparations Quadrant II – long-term development and strategizing: Should a major crisis arise WE will have to postpone other tasks. The space is reserved for emergencies and extremely important deadlines. The latter can be avoided by developing plans and paying close attention to their execution. The activities in quadrant 1 can be differentiated into items that could not have been foreseen, and those items that could. The first quadrant contains tasks and responsibilities that need immediate attention. Quadrant I – important deadlines with high urgency: Not dealing with these issues will cause immediate consequences. These activities are often tightly linked to the accomplishment of someone else’s goal. Urgent responsibilities require immediate attention.
Important responsibilities contribute to the achievement of your goals.
The matrix, also known as Eisenhower’s Urgent-Important Principle, distinguishes between importance and urgency: Covey’s system makes use of four different quadrants that allows to prioritize tasks in relation to their importance and urgency, helping to decide whether we need to address a task immediately or if we can postpone it.