Opinion

Taken to task

Finance | Paul Bennett | 1 Sep 2007

Paul Bennett concludes his thoughts on time management by contrasting what is important and what is urgent. 

The classic time management matrix is as relevant today as it has always been. There is a lobby in management today that says everything must be cutting edge, innovative, breakthrough etc. I do not subscribe to that school. Innovation has a place but it is important to select the right tool for the job and if a classic tool is the most appropriate go ahead and use it. A classic time management tool is Eisenhower’s Matrix. When discussing priorities the challenge is to differentiate between importance and urgency. This matrix looks at the interrelationship between the two.

Activities in H1 are easy to concentrate on. Their presence suggests an imminent deadline with much riding on success. A certain amount of work takes place in H1.

L1 is also a quadrant that is relatively easy to spend time in. We all know how intrusive people and telephones can be, and how disruptive such distractions are to our concentration levels and output. However, they are a fact of business life. The sensible time manager is the one who controls L1 activities while recognising the value of remaining flexible and accessible.

There is limited scope for time planning in both H1 and L1. Because they are urgent, action must be taken NOW. This often forces us to be wasteful in the methods, materials and people we use. Delegation is difficult and rarely developmental in these circumstances.

H2 is the point where much that is most valuable in our work starts out. Projects should invariably begin as H2 activities. Because of the lack of imminent deadlines work can be delayed without any immediate effect. This makes it an attractive option to delay H2 tasks when faced with too much to do in the time available. However, H2 tasks that are left today frequently become H1 tasks tomorrow as deadlines approach. At this point success increasingly becomes a matter of luck and compromise is almost inevitable.

L2 is the quadrant of routine maintenance. It is often good habits of planning and administration in this area that ensure the correct balance of activity within the other three. Yet it is frequently this quadrant that gets lost in the hustle and bustle.

In any job there will always be a certain amount that must fall into H1 and L1. Although this is reactive work, it is important in that it provides last minute flexibility. In some jobs such as first line support for a computer network the main focus is in the reactive quadrants.

In all jobs there will also be proactive tasks outlined in quadrants H2 and L2. Even in the most reactive environment, just coping with crises and panics rarely merits special recognition. This is reserved for those who achieve this and use spare time to create a more effective environment by improving the system. This can create greater amounts of control and reduced numbers of crises – which in turn frees up more time.

Identifying priorities is not always straightforward but must be done if time is to be used effectively. The challenge in working to the priorities is to do what is important even when faced with many things that are urgent. What is most important is not necessarily the thing that shouts the loudest. Quadrant H2 may be silent but it contains much that, if done, will prevent the crises of tomorrow.

Paul Bennett is client director at Henley Management College

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