Blog 33:  Time management:  When there just doesn’t seem to be enough time and there is plenty to juggle.  PART 3:  Maximising your Quadrant 2 personal life.

stephen covey quote quadrant 2 is at the heart of effective personal management

We shift in this blog from considering how to maximise your work life Quadrant 2 to maximising your personal life.  How can I work smarter in my personal life to make the most of the time and resources I have at hand?  To answer that, you must first consider what really matters.  How do you define success in your personal life?

These blogs are aimed at providing bite sized pieces to help you grow and achieve.  They are short enough to provide you with some valuable input, but the value is mostly in the week between blogs.  This is the time for you to reflect and ponder.  Hence why these blogs are posted on a Wednesday . . . to allow you the weekend to mull over the application and deeper questions provided. 

So . . . how do you define success in your personal life?  What really matters?

If you can answer that question, then the pursuit of these things will help shape your Quadrant 2 personal space.  However, this blog will aim to provide two examples of aspects that could be important to you and ways you can maximise them in a Quadrant 2 paradigm.  Over the next two weeks we’ll provide another two each week.  Remember, we are trying to focus on enlarging the time we spend in the important and not urgent.

Enlarged quadrant 2 on the urgent - important matrix
©Personal Experience

Following are just two areas worth keeping an eye on in your personal life – items that are important and not urgent . . . if you keep them in Quadrant 2!

Your health:  diet, exercise, sleep and keeping on top of your health

Your health will limit what you can do, so the better you can maintain it, the better you will be able to build other areas of your life.

  • Sleep:  Know yourself.  How much sleep do you need to be at your best?  When should you sleep and how?  Maintain the discipline of sleep.
  • Exercise:  Know yourself.  What exercise provides both enjoyment and gives your heart a good workout?  Take the time to know how much exercise you should do each week and what compliments your lifestyle.  Make sure those exercise slots are prioritized and protected. 
  • Diet:  Know yourself.  What’s your target weight?  What can you afford to eat and drink (and I’m not talking financially).  What are your diet weaknesses?  What diet will keep you at your best?  Where is your balance?
  • General health:  Make sure you have people on your team who know you . . . that’s your doctor and dentist for a start.  They’re the experts, so make sure you have your regular checkups and follow through when they tell you to get an x-ray or a scan. 

Your relationships

Some relationships are healthy, and some are dangerous.  Some are strategic.  Some come with no choice.  Look after people and invest in them.  You can’t live without them!  Maintain healthy relationships.

  • The close:  Know those closest – your partner, parents, spouse and kids.  Know how they are wired, their love languages and what drives them.  How can you serve them and help them grow to be great human beings? 
  • The wider:  Know others.  Take time to listen and care.  You will learn more about yourself.  Be friendly. Could you show kindness to everyone you meet?
  • The good:  Know who those people are in your life who fill your tank, that are a good influence on you and are fun.  Make space for them and invest in them.  Hold on to good friendships. Have a few friends who truly know you and who you can deeply trust. 
  • The bad:    Know those people in your life who tend to make emotional withdrawals.  Develop good boundaries to protect yourself while still valuing and helping others.  You don’t necessarily need to burn bridges but show kindness while holding those boundaries.  That’s a hard tension to hold. 

A common thread in relationships . . . serve others and show kindness . . . and you will find it comes back to you.  As you can see, you’ll do better as you become more self-aware.

It’s good to have some mentors, coaches or caddies.  Someone a bit further along the track than you who you can bounce things off.  A conversation with them every month or so would be valuable to keeping yourself true to your compass north.  So, try and build good, positive people around you who will help you grow and realise your potential. 

The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion, and the will to help others

Albert Schweitzer

How about you . . . what’s your purpose?  It will frame your relationships.

These are only three items to keep an eye on when considering how to maximise your Quadrant 2 personal life.  There are plenty more aspects and of course we can’t address all of them, but over the next two weeks we’ll provide help on four more Quadrant 2 facets that could help you flourish in life. 

You are a good investment . . . invest time in you and a growing personal life. 

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