Mastering Time Management

Hey there! We are diving into one of our favorite topics: time management. We approach it in completely opposite ways, which makes for an interesting discussion. Here’s how we tackle our busy schedules.

Our Approach to Time Management

Kim is all about priorities. She believes that prioritizing is the key to effective time management. On the other hand, Natasha has a different perspective. She likes to focus on lists and organizing tasks in a way that makes sense to her.

Time Management Strategies

Now, let’s get down to business.

Natasha is a big fan of the Eisenhower Matrix. It’s a tool that categorizes tasks based on their urgency and importance. The matrix has four quadrants:

• Urgent and Important: These are tasks that require immediate attention, like client work or urgent emails.

• Important but Not Urgent: These are tasks that are significant but don’t require immediate action, such as updating your website or exercising.

• Urgent but Not Important: These are tasks that seem urgent but don’t contribute much to your long-term goals, like responding to some emails.

• Not Urgent and Not Important: These are tasks that can be dropped or delegated, like spending excess time on social media or watching TV.

Kim prefers a more visual approach. She thinks of time management as a traffic light.

• Red: These are tasks that are urgent and directly related to making money, like client work or auditioning.

• Yellow: These are important tasks that don’t require immediate action, like updating your online profiles or reaching out to clients.

• Green: These are nice-to-have tasks that are less important and not urgent, like administrative work or social media.

• Blue: These are tasks that should be dropped, like excessive social media use or non-work-related activities.

Learning from Each Other

We realize that our brains work differently when it comes to visualizing time management. Kim, being a visual artist, resonates more with the visuals and simplicity of the traffic light analogy of Natasha, however finds the definitive structure of the Eisenhower Matrix traffic more appealing.

Your Homework

We want you to take some time to analyze your own time management strategies. Make a list of your tasks and categorize them based on urgency and importance. Choose a method that resonates with you, whether it's the Eisenhower Matrix, the traffic light analogy, or something else entirely. The goal is to find a system that helps you prioritize effectively and manage your time efficiently.

We hope you found our discussion on time management helpful and maybe even a little entertaining!

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• Urgent and important: These are tasks that need to be done right away because they are both important and time-sensitive. Examples might include things like preparing for a big presentation, or taking your pet to the vet because they're sick.
• Important, but not urgent: These are tasks that are important, but they don't have a tight deadline. Examples might include things like working on a long-term project at work, or exercising regularly to stay healthy.
• Urgent, but not important: These are tasks that need to be done quickly, but they're not really that important in the grand scheme of things. Examples might include things like answering emails from a co-worker who always seems to be in a rush, or returning a phone call from a telemarketer.
• Not important and not urgent: These are tasks that are neither important nor urgent. Examples might include things like scrolling through social media for hours on end, or watching TV shows that you don't really care about.

what is not urgent and not important, we drop.

Or, It's like a traffic light for your to-do list:

• Red tasks (urgent and important) need your attention ASAP. These are the fires that need to be put out right now. Think urgent emails, client calls, or doctor's appointments. Tasks that make you money immediately
• Yellow tasks (important, but not urgent) can wait a bit. These are the things that need to get done eventually, but they don't need your immediate attention. Think planning for the future, coaching, working on your website, or training sessions. Tasks that lead to making money..
• Green tasks (less important, but not urgent) can be delegated to someone else. These are the things that are nice to have, but not absolutely necessary. Think sourcing your work from the internet, social media, or admin work. Not exactly making you money immediately but helpful 
• Blue tasks (not important and not urgent) should be dropped. These are the things that are just taking up space on your to-do list and not really serving a purpose. Think personal Facebook, superfluous emails, or video games (unless they're part of your job, of course).

Kim also thinks about it as spending 80% of my day focused on Red and Yellow lights.