Time Matrix Reflection
As I was listening to the Leadership Lab podcast, Kory Kogon said something that I
thought was extremely interesting: procrastination is merely letting tasks drift from Quadrant two
to Quadrant one, where they become both important and urgent. Tasks in Quadrant one are
generally completed first, and lead to burnout, where we find ourselves in Quadrant four, after
which we feel extremely unproductive and unfulfilled. My main takeaway from the combination
of the time matrix and the podcast was how I can use Kogon’s definition of procrastination to
clearly apply the lessons of the time matrix to my own life. Previously to listening to this
podcast, I never clearly understood why I procrastinate and the consequences of procrastination. I
procrastinate on tasks that are currently situated in quadrant two, and when they travel into
quadrant one, I finally complete those tasks with an urgency that leads to the burnout mentioned
by Kogon. I realized that I have unconsciously trained myself to prioritize tasks that are in
quadrant one, rather than paying any attention to tasks in quadrant two, as they are not urgent
during that time. Reflecting on this, I feel that the podcast’s lesson on procrastination gives me a
clear direction as to how I can try and apply the time matrix to my own life. First, as Kogon
stated, I must define what is important to me, and what exactly I want to make room for. If I have
no activities that I have defined as important to me, then I will have no motivation to make room
for those activities. Next, I can begin approaching each new task from a categorical standpoint,
classifying each task by its respective category in the time matrix. With the end goal of
eliminating procrastination as my way of applying Kogon’s lecture and the time matrix to my
own life, I intend to alot a specific time each day for each task. For my personal life, I feel that
completing the important and urgent tasks in the morning first will provide the necessary
motivation to get those tasks done so I have the entire afternoon to work on the important and
non urgent tasks. This, according to Kogon, will end the procrastination cycle and help me avoid
any burnout.
Providing insightful commentary using concepts that I have learned, I must rid my life of
as many unnecessary distractions as possible if I wish to maximize my productivity while
completing these tasks in both quadrant one and quadrant two. In Chapter eleven of the
Organizational Behavior textbook, Robbins discusses the communication process between the
sender and receiver of information. “Noise” is between the two, and the level of noise can
drastically affect the level of understanding by the receiver and the quality of the feedback
received by the sender. Noise, or unnecessary distractions, hinder the effectiveness of
communication, a very important aspect of many of the activities I complete in both quadrant
one and two. If I am to implement Kogon’s description of procrastination and apply the concepts
I have discussed above, it will be imperative that I eliminate as much distraction as possible.