How to use 4 d’s of time management for prioritisation

4 d’s of time management: In today’s article, we will talk about the 4 d’s of time management and how to use them to prioritise time. The main item of discussion in 4 Ds is whether a task needs delegation. Delegation in effect conflicts with the feeling of control and micromanagement. However, in this article, we will talk about the types of prioritisation models we can follow to make the best use of our time. In addition, I’d always route us back to some time management skills that will help us increase productivity.

What is 4 d’s of time management?

The 4 d’s of time management were created by Jack Canfield in his book – The power of focus. Time being the most limited resource earns its value in the quote – Time isn’t the main thing, it is the only thing. In effect, none of us ever have the amount of time that we’d desire. Hence, the most important requirement for us is to find a way to make the best use of this time and yet achieve our results.

This will mean being clever with our time and ensuring that we organise it effectively. The simplest way of organising this time is making efficient use of the 4 Quadrants of time management. The quadrants help us separate the type of tasks between urgent vs important.

The 4 d’s of time management however help us to differentiate between the type of tasks that we do ourselves and the rest we delegate. The distinction in these 4 d’s of time management are:

• Do – Important and urgent things, Matrix 1 of Eisenhower matrix
• Delete – unimportant things that you must cross off your list
• Defer – postpone of procrastinate
• Delegate – get someone else to do it.

Do

Nike would rephrase and say – Just do it! This segment of 4 d’s of time management is for the most important tasks. This refers to the highest value outcome in your list of things. In relation to the 4 quadrants of time management, this would be the important segment of the matrix. Also, this list must-have items that give you the most valuable outcome. Some of these tasks may not be quick or easy. But the value that they generate will be high. Hence, you must focus on doing them as the earliest.

Make sure that you don’t procrastinate on things under the first D of this 4D’s framework.

Delete

This is one of the most impactful exercises in time management. The delete items are the same as – urgent but less important things in our list. The most impactful driver is the value of this task to you. If the outcome is not of high importance, then this task should not be on your list. The 4 Ds of time management demands that you’d be brutal about maintaining such lists.

Remember the 80-20 rule – 80% of the results come from 20% of causes. You don’t have all the time in the world to work on everything. Find the sweet spot and ensure that things that don’t align with your priorities are removed from the list.

Defer

Postponing is not the same as procrastination. I recall that in the previous article about how to prevent procrastination, we talk about taking small, immediate actions. In this case, actively postponing something is not the same as procrastination. Before working on something, ask the following questions

• Do I need to work on it right now – what is the deadline surrounding this?
• Can this wait for another time?
• Is it as urgent as it is made out to be?

The important point in 4d’s of time management is to pause to ask these questions before jumping straight in.

Delegate

You don’t have to do everything on your own. The power of delegation allows your task to be completed Not everything needs to be done by you. This is particularly important in a team or working environment where we have to deliver results together. Delegation forces us to ensure that don’t fall into the trap of micromanagement but ensure that the overall outcome is not compromised.

Key things to remember while delegating are:

• Make sure that the expectations are clearly set
• Define the type of updates you need for project progress
• Plan together to set realistic timelines.

Summary and Conclusion: 4 d’s of time management

Your time is the most important resource you’ll ever have. You have to be extremely careful and cautious about how you use it. This is particularly true when you are an entrepreneur. Most founders tend to think that they have more time at hand and try their hand at everything. Unfortunately, this results in time loss which is more precious than money.

4 Key Tips:

• Saying No is ok – You need to practice it actively
• Don’t do everything by yourself, delegate!
• Just because something is urgent, it doesn’t mean important
• Take a minute to think before you jump into something