Prioritize for Happiness, Not Just for Productivity | Ep. 17
Hannah and Amy dig into one of the most practical tools in their executive function coaching toolkit: the Covey Quadrants. This is a short, focused episode designed to give you one specific thing to try today. And before they even get started, they are clear about what this episode is not: it is not a toxic productivity lecture. It is about why feeling constantly behind and never getting to the things that actually matter to you is one of the most reliable routes to unhappiness.
Hannah and Amy walk through all four quadrants using their own combined version of the Eisenhower Matrix and Covey Quadrants, with real examples from their coaching work and their own lives. They talk about why Quadrant Two deserves to be renamed the Happiness Quadrant, why Quadrant Four is actually a canary in the coal mine rather than something to feel guilty about, and why the most important things in your life are usually the quietest ones with no deadline and nobody chasing you about them. They also share practical ways to actually use this tool, from a high level categorizing exercise to a weekly planning practice, and how to level it up over time using the Likert scale, adding meaning, and building in a weekly reflection.
In this episode: the Eisenhower Matrix and Covey Quadrants explained, the difference between the two frameworks, Quadrant Two as the Happiness Quadrant, Quadrant Four as a signal not a sentence, the EF skills behind prioritization, adding meaning to Quadrant Two tasks, the Likert scale for ranking, brain dump to quadrant planning, environment and friction, and why prioritizing Quadrant Two is research-backed preventive care for your whole life.
DOWNLOAD OUR RESOURCE
Hannah and Amy created a combined Covey Quadrants/Eisenhower Matrix template with tips and ideas for how to use it. Download or make a copy of it here.
THE FOUR QUADRANTS AT A GLANCE
Quadrant One: Urgent and Important
Quadrant Two: Not Urgent but Important - AKA The Happiness Quadrant
Quadrant Three: Urgent but Not Important
Quadrant Four: Not Urgent and Not Important
MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: The source of the Covey Quadrants framework, published in 1989. Required reading if you want to go deeper on the values-based approach to prioritization.
Emotional Agility by Susan David: Amy references David’s argument that the most resilient and fulfilled people are those who know what they value and make choices accordingly. Prioritization, done well, is values in action.
Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking by Kelly McGonigal: Hannah references McGonigal’s new book and the idea that joy lives in Quadrant Two and requires us to take a risk in protecting it. Hannah has pre-ordered it and is dying to read it. (Add confirmed Amazon link before publishing.)
The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal: Referenced as the subject of an earlier episode.
Descript: The video and podcast editing tool Hannah and Amy use to edit their episodes. Hannah loves it and recommends it enthusiastically. Get a discount with our referral link!
Boomerang for Gmail: The inbox pause tool Hannah mentions for managing email interruptions and reducing Quadrant Three noise. boomeranggmail.com
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