How to Lead as a Woman Physician Series
Productivity, Time & Energy Management- Part II The Covey 4 Box Time Management Matrix
Hello there dear friends!
frameworks of all time. Even for those of us who are familiar
I want to introduce the Covey 4 Box
with this matrix, and may even use it
Time Management Matrix to those of
every day, I still find it invaluable to
you not already familiar with it to this
consciously remind ourselves of how
very simple and effective tool.
prioritize our time and energy.
So, what is it?
There are two axes – Urgent & Not Urgent (horizonal) and Important &
Stephen R Covey, the author of The 7
Not Important (vertical).
Habits of Highly Effective People, and one of the most revered modern
Box I – Urgent and Important
leadership experts, created the 4 Box
Known as the “putting out fires” box
Matrix that has become one of the
where physicians and leaders often
most widely used time management
find ourselves, we are fully in reactive
Tammie Chang, MD, LLC
How to Lead as a Woman Physician Series
mode. We can’t focus on anything else
Box III – Urgent and Not Important
as we are up against a tight deadline,
Doesn’t it seem like this is where a lot
dealing with a crisis, or literally
of our time gets sucked away?
putting out a fire. COVID, has felt like
Interruptions, email, phone calls,
One Big Red Box I.
unplanned meetings. A University of California Irvine study found that it
Box II – Not Urgent and Important
takes over 23 minutes to refocus after
This is where the gold is. This is where
each interruption. And, if the
we want to be spending as much of
interruption takes your attention
our time and energy where we can.
elsewhere to another task, this
Important work includes building
multitasking has been found to
relationships, strategy, vision,
decrease your IQ by 10 points. 10
creativity, and being open to new
points! https://hbr.org/2010/05/how-
opportunities. When we are in crisis
and-why-to-stop-multitaski.html
mode, with our cortisol and
This is why I’m such a huge proponent
adrenaline up, we don’t have the
of putting away distractions while we
mental or emotional resources to be
are completing necessary tasks, like
creative
completing patient notes and completing electronic medical record
But Box II is where the most
tasks.
important work lies, that moves us ahead in our work as leaders,
Box IV – Not Urgent and Not Important
creators and visionaries. Create a
This one is self-explanatory. This is the
strong boundary around your time.
brainless, not important stuff that you
Carve out time each week, each day if
should not be doing at work! Not only
possible, for this most important work
does it take your attention away from
in Box II.
the task at hand, but it’s also a waste of your time.
Tammie Chang, MD, LLC
How to Lead as a Woman Physician Series
Now, if you are on your own down
Now think back to our Energy
time, relaxing, at home, and not at
Awareness and 80/20 rule article we
work – have at it. You get to choose
discussed a couple of weeks ago. What
what you do during this time. But if
stands out to you when you put these
your goal is to be focused, productive
tools together with the Covey 4 Box
and not drain your energy while you
Time Management Matrix?
are work, stay away from this box.
Tammie Chang, MD, LLC
How to Lead as a Woman Physician Series Here are some ideas to help you focus
a. For me, I take 30 minutes at
your attention away from Boxes I and
the start of the day, 30
III, and maximize your time and energy
minutes mid-day, and 30
in Box II.
minutes at end of the day to respond to email. I keep my
1.Prioritize. Start each day knowing
email closed on my desktop
the Top 3 Tasks/Projects you want to
except during these specified
accomplish for the day. Then plan
times, and all notifications are
your approach for the rest of the day
turned OFF.
around these Top 3 Tasks/Projects. 4. Delegate. If you are in the position 2. Plan. Specifically block out time in
to delegate tasks, delegate Box III
your calendar – long in advance – for
tasks as much as possible.
important Box II work. For me, this means I block out time when I also
5.Set boundaries and say no. You all
know I will be most fresh and
know I’m all about this one! Say “no”
productive – which for me is the first
to tasks or meetings that fall into Box
thing in the morning. Specifically
III – Not important and Urgent.
avoid planning Box II work when you know your energy and attention is
6.Done is good enough. For items that
naturally the lowest. For me, this is
fall into Box III – Not Important and
between 1 to 3pm each day.
Urgent, done is good enough. Don’t allow perfectionism to become your
3. Time box. Consciously remember
biggest enemy.
that Box III tasks (email, calls, reports, unplanned meetings) are not
You got this ladies. Stay tuned for
important, but can completely fill your
Part III of Productivity, Time & Energy
time if you allow them to. Specifically
Management!
block out limited amounts of time for these activities each day. Tammie Chang, MD, LLC