Day 45: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Today, I've decided to share some of the concepts of the time management ideas contained in the smash hit bestseller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. He puts it like this. You can divide a page of paper into four quadrants and then write in the following.

Quadrant 1:
IMPORTANT/URGENT
Activities:
Crises
Pressing problems
Deadline-driven projects

Quadrant 2:
IMPORTANT/NOT URGENT
Activities:
Prevention, production capability activities*
Relationship building
Recognizing new opportunities
Planning, recreation

Quadrant 3:
NOT IMPORTANT/URGENT
Activities:
Interruptions, some calls
Some mail, some reports
Some meetings
Proximate, pressing matters
Popular activities

Quadrant 4:
NOT IMPORTANT/NOT URGENT
Activities: Trivia, busy work
Some mail
Some phone calls
Time wasters
Pleasant activities

Stephen talks about production capability activities as being those that help you prepare for production. Thus, doing what refreshes your creative powers as a writer can be termed a p/c activity, as can preventing problems from occurring by preparation and keeping the machines of production well-oiled.

To be highly effective people, he states, we can be aware of which quadrant we are spending our time in and create a balance between production (or doing) and production capability (keeping ourselves and/or our machinery able to function optimally). Thus, spending most of our time in the non-urgent yet important Quadrant 2 - which does include recreation - brings us the highest long-term efficiency.

Let me know whether this proves useful!

Day 44: I learn about Lakshmi, Goddess of Unlimited Abundance

Last night, I renewed my energies by taking time out to hear my friend Sadie www.myspace.com/sadiejemmettmusic who is an excellent singer and guitarist. The evening was great and even though she was busy talking to her manager about a recording deal, I was happy that things were going well for her and delighted to hear five tracks I never heard her sing before.

The friend I went with is a poet and also a film maker, having made a documentary about her special experiences in India. Recently, she met the love of her life, so she is very happy and that was wonderful to hear. She said she prayed to an Indian Goddess and then it happened! She tells me if I pray to the Goddess Lakshmi (by downloading a picture from the net and praying to it whilst lighting incense) that she can help provide abundance. Lakshmi is the Goddess of material energy and unlimited abundance that is available for everyone; the fruits of the earth, she explains. I'm going to try and get that photo, because she seemed to manifest a man super quick with the help of the Goddesses so they must be worth a go!

After the gig, I went on to a club but it was a bit jarring so we all went home. On the nightbus, I finally read a few more pages of Dickens before a craving overtook me for a lamb kebab and I indulged before going back to bed. Tomorrow I may not have time for blogging as I am helping out at the jumble sale for my choir along with my great friend Ania.