I loved this weeks learning about the 7 habits. Steven Covey is my hero and the things that he teaches in the 7 habits are principles that have helped me focus on what is truly important in life. Our study this week has been very timely. I have been struggling trying to balance all the things that are going on my life. Sometimes responding constantly to things that always appear to be urgent. As I read the reading material about the 7 habits, the third habit, put first things first, really resonated with me. Covey has a four quadrant box and labels them: 1. Important and urgent; 2. important and non-urgent; 3. urgent but not important; and 4. not urgent and not important.

As I pondered this and which quadrant I tend to work out of, I realized I spend alot of time in the third and fourth quadrant. Covey says the goal is to maximize your time in quadrant 2 on important but non-urgent activities. He says this is the heart of effective personal management and by increasing the tasks carried out in quadrant 2, the tasks of quadrant 1 are minimized. It seems like a light bulb went off in my mind; I need to spend time doing things that are most important. Stop wasting time with things that are not important.

Sometimes, I obsess with local and national politics and news and will make sure I read every story being spewed by the media. Is this important and urgent to me at this moment of my life...NO! I really had to take inventory of what I do with my time and make sure I am working on those things that are truly important. I need to stop obsessing over things that I have no control of and worry more about what I can control.

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