{"id":4810,"date":"2017-04-19T07:55:29","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T07:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/?p=4810"},"modified":"2025-09-22T14:27:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:27:11","slug":"master-time-management-coveys-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/master-time-management-coveys-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"How to master time management skills with Covey\u2019s Time Management Grid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The average employee works 8.8 hours every day, but surprisingly little of that time is actually spent doing work. Due to poor time management, people are only productive for a little over 3 hours in a day.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

\"time_mgmt_working_hours\"<\/p>\n

From catching up on news online to searching for new jobs, employees burn through most of their working days by engaging in activities that could probably wait until they got home. Scattering your attention across multiple important assignments is also not advisable, as you will see an overall dip in effectiveness in all tasks that you are trying to complete.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

In order to better your time management skills and become the productivity powerhouse you were meant to be, consider adopting this 4-step strategy<\/strong> that allows you to plan every day, week, month, and year effectively.<\/p>\n

1. Identify your tasks<\/h5>\n

Create a to-do list every evening and every Sunday. In it, outline exactly what you need to get done in the upcoming period of work.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a few short emails that need to be sent to nurture your business connections or an upcoming deadline on a 6-month behemoth project, write everything down, no matter the size<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be high tech either, a simple pen and notepad will do the trick. If you do feel like going digital, use the note function on your phone or something connected to the cloud, such as Google Keep.<\/p>\n

2. Prioritise your projects<\/h5>\n

Now that you have your tasklist in front of you, it\u2019s time to sort them into the four different categories that will best enable you to prioritise them.<\/p>\n

Making sure you know which tasks are pressing and which can be pushed out by a few days or weeks will allow you to handle your workload with confidence. To sort your tasks, use the following technique design by Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There are two questions you need to ask yourself about each and every job on your plate:<\/p>\n