Soar to Success October 2020

PAT ALTVATER Put First Things First Elite Experts Network AFP Marketing PatAltvater.com I am a fan of the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” written by the late, Stephen R. Covey. It’s been over 30 years since this book was first published and the “habits” still ring true today. This month I’m going to review Habit #3 – Put first things first. This chapter introduces the time management matrix, with four quadrants, I - Urgent and Important, II - Not urgent and Important, III - Urgent and Non-important and IV - Not urgent and Not important. Effective people realize that organizing and managing time and events around what is truly important is key. By saying “no” to the unimportant, we can say “yes” to the important. Putting first things first means that we can gain control of time and events by looking at each to see how they relate to our mission and giving priority to Quadrant II activities. When we practice scheduling and delegating, we replace reactivity with proactivity. The following are a few questions you can ask yourself this month to see if you are practicing Habit 3. 1. Do I organize work so time is spent on important issues (such as, planning, building relationships, etc.)? 2. Do I organize work so achievement of more important goals is not delayed by work on less important activities (such as, busy work, unnecessary interruptions, etc.)? 3. Do I delegate appropriate work to others? Wishing you a fantastic month ahead; I hope that the articles in this month’s issue will inspire and motivate you. Don’t forget to take advantage of the links to connect further with our contributors.