这个时间管理方法风靡全球，推荐给你！

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).

Tha