Quadrant 1 encompasses crises, emergency meetings, last-minute deadlines, pressing problems, and unforeseen events.

Staying in Quadrant 1 too long is unhealthy. But it’s easy to stay there because there’s usually a public reward for fixing a crisis, while preventing a crisis (Quadrant 2) is usually invisible.

This is the quadrant from which you can borrow time. There is a significant paradigm challenge to Quadrant 3, because much of Quadrant 3 is important to other people but not to us. It involves things like

- needless interruptions;
- unnecessary reports;
- irrelevant meetings;
- other people's minor issues;
- unimportant email, tasks, phone calls, status posts, etc.

Many of us (and many work cultures) hold up the idea that we “have to” take care of Quadrant 3 issues (reactive language!). Practice Habit 1 when you find yourself pulled into Quadrant 3.

People who live in Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 3 often escape to Quadrant 4, which isn’t truly renewing. It’s the excessive use of these activities that makes them non-renewing. For example, watching your favorite TV show can be renewing, but five episodes in a row can be non-renewing.

This Quadrant is concerned with

- trivial work;
- avoidance activities;
- excessive relaxation,
television, gaming, internet
use;
- time-wasters; and
- gossip.

When you're living in Quadrant 2, you are focused on

- proactive work;
- important goals;
- creative thinking;
- planning and prevention;
- relationship building;
- learning and renewal;
- recreation.

This is the quadrant of effective living. It is a proactive place—you get here by choice. When you choose to be in Quadrant 2, you generate the best results for your work and personal life.