A few years back, I was given my culminating assignment for a course that I took (I can’t recall which one). Being the typical me at that time, I would constantly delay it till the last moment. One week passed, no word was written. Two weeks passed, the page was blank. Come week three, still nothing. One day left, nothing was touched. Two hours before deadline, bunch of gibberish on the paper.
That was the end of my assignment: I received low marks merely because I procrastinated. And I am sure that many of us can relate to this story.
Fortunately, I am no longer that student and I am constantly submitting my case studies and assignments days prior to the assignment.
How do I do it?
It’s simple. I use the Urgent-Important Matrix.
The Urgent-Important Matrix is an effective tool for prioritizing the MOST important tasks based on urgency and importance.
Each quadrant reminds you of the tasks that need to be completed when, and which ones to remove.
Quadrant 1 is “Do (Do these things today)”. This is for the work that you have to do today, regardless if you are procrastinating or not. Typically, all of my work is listed in this section, since I want to complete them as early as possible. Work that is due very soon or in the days ahead would end up in this quadrant. All in all, it needs to be treated as a priority.
Quadrant 2 is “Decide (Schedule when to do these things)”. This is for the work that is not-urgent, but sill important. The work does not need to be done by today, rather in the days ahead. For instance, a Physics assignment that is due next friday can be done in the weekend.
Quadrant 3 is “Delegate (Who can do these things for you?)”. This is for the work that is urgent, but not important. You may choose not to do it, but if you think that someone else can do it for you, then go for it! For example, if my little brother wants to play football with me, then I generally ask our neighbour or my parents to fill in
Quadrant 4 is “Delete (Eliminate these things)”. This is the final quadrant where the work is not-urgent and not-important. This means that they are complete time-wasters and distract you from the path of success. These include social media, gaming, video-streaming, short-lived dopamine, and more.
After using this quadrant for over three years, I can definitely say that I am in top form in my academic. This quadrant allows you to be proactive at the best times, and to strive towards excellence.
You can find the template of the Urgent-Important Matrix here.
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