Time Stress

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=220 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Practical Spirituality"><U>WMEades.com Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.counseling-waco.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.counseling-waco.com"><U>Counseling-Waco Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://wacopartnership.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://wacopartnership.org"><U>Waco Partnership for Psychological and Spiritual Care Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://practicalspirituality.wordpress.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://practicalspirituality.wordpress.c"><U>Practical Spirituality Blog</U></A></div> <div> _________________________</div> <div> <A HREF="aboutme.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Me and My Work"><U>About Me and My Work</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id518.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Making an Appointment"><U>Making an Appointment</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="policies.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Policies"><U>Policies</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="cost.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cost of Counseling"><U>Cost of Counseling</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="helpfularticles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Helpful Articles"><U>Helpful Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="directions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directions to Office"><U>Directions to Office</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="booksummaries.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Book Summaries"><U>Book Summaries</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="counseling.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pastoral Counseling"><U>Pastoral Counseling</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="premarriage.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Premarriage Counseling"><U>Premarriage Counseling</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="enneagram.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Enneagram"><U>The Enneagram</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id494.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alcoholics Anon. 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Mtgs.</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="faith.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="When Faith Doesnt Work"><U>When Faith Doesn't Work</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.theravive.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.theravive.com"><U><IMG SRC="83da03c0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> In <U>Seven Habits of Highly Effective People</U>, Steven Covey offers a very practical tool for examing the use of time.  He suggests that we prioritize every task according to how urgent it is and how important it is.  </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="730" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 57 ><NOBR><bR> <div> <B>The Covey Box</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="269"><bR> <div> <B>IMPORTANT</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="303"><div> <B>NOT</B></div> <div> <B>IMPORTANT</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 255 WIDTH="138"><bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>URGENT</B></div> <bR> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="269"><div>   <B>Urgent AND Important</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>DO IT NOW!</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ideally, the box is reserved for <B>emergencies</B> and <B>unforseeable developments.</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Poor managers spend lots of time in this box because they won't take time for the box below.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Poor leaders force others to live in this box because they won't take time to plan staff meetings and help others stay ahead of the game.</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="303"><div>  <B>Urgent, but NOT Important</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Take Control</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">This box is filled with things like ringing phones, a person standing at your office door, or an assistant asking you to look at a broken copier.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">People who don't protect their time and space well ending spending a lot of time in this box.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Poor leaders can get themselves and their staffs side-tracked by allowing urgent but unimportant issues to take up valueable planning time.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 418 WIDTH="138"><bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>NOT </B></div> <div> <B>URGENT</B></div> <bR> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 WIDTH="269"><div> <B>Important, but NOT Urgent</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>LIVE IN THIS BOX</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">People who are excellent time managers spend most of their time working out of this box.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The more time you spend in this box, the less time you'll spend in the "Do it Now" box, because you'll be taking care of important tasks before they ever become urgent.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">People who live in this box recognize that spending 1-2 hours of relaxed time each week planning upcoming responsibilities will save hours and hours of stress-filled time down the road.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Leaders who live in this box spend time each week developing key relationships.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Leaders who spend time planning staff meetings will save the entire staff from stress-filled hours in the "Do it Now" box.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">This box is the proper home of recreation and self-care activities!</B></div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="303"><div> <B>Neither Urgent nor Important</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Stay out of this box!</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">This is where time gets frittered about on useless distractions that serve no purpose.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Someone who is spending very much time in this box may well be clincally depressed.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Many people <B>mistakenly </B>place recreation and self-care activities in this box.  Such people see recreation and self-care as a waste of time.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Wes Eades, Ph.D.</div> <div> P.O box 2421</div> <div> 500 Webster Avenue, Suite 301</div> <div> Waco, TX  76706</div> <div> 254-498-7176</div> <div> wmeades@gmail.com</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>