Establishing your daily priorities Tutorial

Are you ready to take control of your daily priorities? In "Establishing Your Daily Priorities," discover the power of Eisenhower's matrix to distinguish between what is urgent and important. Learn to focus on activities that truly matter for personal and professional effectiveness. This video will help you regain control over your time and avoid unnecessary distractions. Don't let urgency rule your day; prioritize wisely!

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take control of your daily schedule so you never have to suffer through it.

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David Eisenhower,

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the thirty-fourth president of the United States of America,

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is quoted as saying,

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what is important is rarely urgent,

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and what is urgent is rarely important.

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Eisenhower's matrix was developed from this quote as

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a way to help people prioritize their duties.

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How so?

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By discerning what is urgent and important,

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Eisenhower's matrix is a double entry table,

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an axis urgency of tasks,

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an axis importance of task.

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The matrix therefore consists of four zones.

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The so-called important activities

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allow us to move forwards with our priorities,

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our big stones,

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whether they are professional or personal.

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By definition,

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what is important is major,

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extremely beneficial,

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and its consequences are significant.

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In most cases,

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replying to a colleague,

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sending an email,

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or running to a meeting are not defined as something important.

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We can measure how important an activity is by asking ourselves this question

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What will happen in the short and long term if I leave this activity out?

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The so-called urgent activities require immediate action.

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If we don't do them fast enough,

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it will either be too late or the conditions will have degraded.

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But is it an emergency for you or for someone else?

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Square one.

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If you have urgent and important tasks,

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necessities,

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you must act and take care of them as soon as possible.

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Put them at the top of your list.

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Start your day with these tasks.

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They are essential,

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strategic,

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and they bring a strong added value to your work and to your life.

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Square two,

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if you have urgent but unimportant tasks.

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Distractions,

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delegate as much as possible,

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integrally or partially.

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If you don't have the choice,

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manage them by not spending more time than necessary on them.

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To do so,

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simplify and get straight to the point.

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Urgency

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often tends to override importance.

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It's the culture of immediacy.

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This can be seen as a kind of regression towards childhood

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when the urgency stems from a need,

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from a desire for immediate gratification.

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8% of employees report

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working in an emergency always or often having to work in a hurry.

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Urgency was supposed to be the exception,

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yet it's gradually becoming the rule.

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The pressure of urgency,

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the urgency of our desires,

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or the urgency brought to us by a colleague

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is usually the reason why we lean in.

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Can you finish this file now,

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Patrice?

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It's urgent.

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Here is the definition of something urgent.

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The characteristic which allows no delay,

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a situation that may result in irreparable harm if it

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is not remedied within a short span of time.

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Will there be irreparable harm if Patrice doesn't finish that file now?

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No.

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Yes,

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we have alienated the word urgent.

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Lydia,

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can you reply to the email ASAP?

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Will there be irreparable harm if I don't reply to this email as soon as possible?

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We have a survival mechanism within us,

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which means that as soon as we hear urgent,

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very quickly,

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as soon as possible,

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our reptilian brain takes over and suspends all

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other activities to focus on the so-called emergency.

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In fact,

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the hyperreactivity of the reptilian brain that makes us take our

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hand off a fire when we burn ourselves is very appropriate.

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But focusing exclusively on answering an email that I just got,

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is that really an appropriate action?

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Is it an emergency,

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a survival situation?

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I prompt you not to let yourself be distracted by so-called urgent matters,

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which aren't really urgent nor very important.

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If you can

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delegate most tasks or do them by going straight to the point.

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Square 3.

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If you have unimportant and non-urgent tasks,

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a waste of time,

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then don't do anything or do the bare minimum.

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Sometimes these tasks need to mature

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before moving up to another box of the chart,

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unless these tasks are satisfying and inspiring for you.

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For instance,

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improving the presentation of a slide show.

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Maybe you find accomplishing these actions rather pleasurable.

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Why not?

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Even if they do not represent a crucial issue,

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their pleasant or interesting character

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will certainly allow you to breathe in

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between two activities and regain some energy.

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Just perform these actions with awareness though,

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knowing that they are neither urgent nor important,

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but that you're choosing to indulge in

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these activities for your own personal satisfaction.

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Square 4.

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If you have tasks that are not very urgent but important,

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what I call priorities,

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plan them and stick to your schedule,

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resisting any emergencies that may dethrone them.

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These activities have no critical deadline,

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but postponing them or dismissing them would be

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detrimental to the achievement of your objectives.

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In this box,

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not very urgent but important,

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I can include anything related to self-care,

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self-fulfillment,

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and self-development,

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anything related to self-realization.

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This matrix can be a lifesaver

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if you are constantly feeling overwhelmed or if you keep slipping.

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Up in your work schedule,

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I have often used it in coaching sessions where

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one of the objectives is better time management.

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If,

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like most of my coaches,

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you feel that all of your professional duties are important and urgent,

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then it's time to refer to the core objectives you were given.

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It is vital for you to sort through and deprioritize

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certain tasks by talking about it with your superior.

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Overwhelmed people are people who think they have no other

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choice and they feel victimized by the lack of time.

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We have much more choice than we think,

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the choice to say no,

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the choice to defer deadlines,

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the choice to be less of a perfectionist,

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and the choice to negotiate support and resources.

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