Sep 19 2024 12 mins 6
主播：Wendi（中国）+Selah（美国）
歌曲：Birds of A Feather
今天的节目我们来聊一聊time management（时间管理），尤其是“四象限法则”。This is such an important skill today when we often have to multitask.
·multitask v. 多任务工作
01. Four Quadrants Work Method 四象限工作法
The Four Quadrant Method, also known as the Eisenhower Matrix (艾森豪威尔矩阵) or the Time Management Matrix (时间管理矩阵), is a popular tool for prioritizing tasks based on their urgency and importance (紧急性和重要性).
So, it is a tool for time management. 它的基本原则就是根据任务的轻重缓急来决定处理的先后顺序。It was popularized by Stephen Rechards Covey (史蒂芬·柯维) in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (《高效人士的七个习惯》). 这个四象限工作法则就是在这本书里被带火了。
It was created by Dwight David Eisenhower (德怀特·戴维·艾森豪威尔). 根据urgency and importance这两个维度，任务被分成了四种类型。Its key benefits are that it clarifies priorities (明确优先级), helps with decision-making (决策制定), and improves focus on important tasks.
02. The four categories
(1) Quadrant I: Urgent and Important 象限1——紧急且重要
These tasks require immediate attention and are critical to achieving your goals. They often include crises (危机), pressing deadlines (紧迫的最后期限), and emergency issues (紧急问题).
(2) Quadrant II: Not Urgent but Important 象限2——不紧急但重要
象限2的这些任务一般对我们的long-term success（长期发展）很重要，比如personal growth（个人成长），building relationships（建立人际关系），and long-term planning（长期规划）。
Examples: strategic planning (战略规划), relationship-building, self-care, exercise, learning, and professional development (专业发展).
(3) Quadrant III: Urgent but Not Important 象限3——紧急但不重要
These tasks demand immediate attention but do not contribute significantly to (对......有重大贡献) your long-term goals. They are often interruptions or distractions (干扰或者导致我们分心的事情).
Examples: some emails, phone calls, meetings, and minor issues (不重要的问题) that feel pressing but aren't crucial.
(4) Quadrant IV: Not Urgent and Not Important 象限4——不紧急且不重要
These tasks often leading to time-wasting activities. They can be a source of procrastination (拖延症的根源).
Examples: mindless web browsing (漫无目的地刷手机), excessive social media use (过度使用社交媒体), watching TV, or engaging in trivial activities (从事琐碎的活动).
03. How do we use it?
(1) Categorize Tasks (任务分类): List all your tasks and place them into one of the four quadrants based on their urgency and importance (把你目前的任务按照紧急性和重要性这两个维度放到这四个象限中).
(2) Prioritize Quadrant II (重点关注象限2): Focus on activities in Quadrant II to achieve long-term success (获取长期成功) and reduce the time spent in Quadrant I. 也就是说在完成这些紧急且重要的事的时候要提高效率，不要占用太多时间。
(3) Minimize Quadrant III (缩减象限3): Try to delegate or limit the time spent on tasks in Quadrant III.
(4) Avoid Quadrant IV (取消象限4): Eliminate or minimize (取消或缩减) activities in Quadrant IV to use your time more effectively.
Overall, this method of prioritizing your tasks based on the four quadrants sounds really workable (可行的). 但实际上第一步可能相当困难，因为你必须要figure out which task is truly important to you (弄清楚哪项任务对你来说是真正重要的).
That is why it takes time to evaluate (评估) what is important and why things might need to be done in a certain order (为什么事情可能需要按照一定的顺序来做). Does it affect other people? What will happen if it isn’t done immediately? 所以在用这个方法之前最重要的是要先分清楚任务的重要性。
04. Are there any other methods?
(1) Using a shared calendar (共享日历): this is especially helpful when coordinating with a spouse or family members to balance multiple schedules (当与配偶或家庭成员协调平衡多个日程安排时).
Selah uses this with her Fiancé (未婚夫). 她在iPhone上有一个共享的日历（我们也可以用谷歌日历）。When one of them has an event, they put it in. It saves so much effort and miscommunications (省去很多精力和误解). 在手机上和家人或者朋友建一个共享日历，既方便又能起到一个互相督促的作用。
(2) Timeboxing (时间盒): It involves setting a fixed amount of time (设置一个固定的时间) for a specific task or activity. The difference is that you stop working when the time is up, regardless of whether the task is completed (当时间结束时，无论任务是否完成，你都将停止工作).
这样就不会导致上一个事情的进程耽误之后的事情。But, to be honest, as somewhat of a perfectionist (完美主义者), this can be a bit annoying (有点恼人), not being able to get something 100% done.
But you have to zoom out (从大局看) and realize that this can be essential within the grand scheme of things (这在宏大的计划中是必不可少的).
Wendi doesn’t really have a method for time management. What she did was to simply list out all the deadlines on her calendar (在日历上简单列出所有事情的截止日期), and then break down these tasks into smaller ones (把这些任务分成更小的任务) and put them on her to-do-list (待办事项清单) every day.
05. Benefits of good time management 良好的时间管理的好处
Once you are good at time management, it not only reduces stress, but helps you spend time on the most important things, and not waste time and energy on things that do not matter! It makes life more fulfilling and efficient (使生活更充实和高效). It also makes sure you don’t forget important things.
For Wendi, managing tasks can really help her to relieve anxiety (减轻压力), because most of time our anxiety comes from not having control over the uncertainties in the future (因为大多数时候，我们的焦虑来自于无法控制未来的不确定性). So being more organized (更有条理) allows her to deal with these tasks one step at a time (一步一步处理这些工作) and know when or how she will finish them.
