STOP Drowning in Priorities (The 3-Box Method)
STOP Drowning in Priorities (The 3-Box Method)
Published by Vijay Sha | Executive Mindset Coach
Feeling overwhelmed by your endless to-do list? Here's what every executive needs:
📦 BOX 1: URGENT + IMPORTANT (Do now)
📦 BOX 2: NOT URGENT + IMPORTANT (Schedule)
📦 BOX 3: EVERYTHING ELSE (Delete or delegate)
The magic? Box 2 is where careers are built. Most executives spend 80% of their time in Box 1 and ignore Box 2 entirely.
👍Your strategic thinking, team development, and innovation happen in Box 2.
"What's one thing you can move from Box 1 to Box 2 this week?"
Further update:
🎯There was a great question raised to me about this post, that Box 1 items are urgent AND important, so you can't just move them. That's absolutely right. ✅
Here's the key insight: The goal isn't to move existing Box 1 items to Box 2. The goal is to prevent Box 2 items from becoming Box 1 crises in the first place.
Here's how it works:
Box 2 examples:
- Strategic planning for next quarter
- Team development and training
- Process improvements
- Relationship building with key stakeholders
When you IGNORE Box 2, these become Box 1 emergencies:
- Scrambling to hit targets because you didn't plan
- Dealing with team performance issues that could have been prevented
- Firefighting broken processes
- Crisis management with angry stakeholders
The magic happens when you schedule time in your daily routine for Box 2 work. You'll find yourself with fewer Box 1 crises over time.
Think of it like this: Box 2 is preventive medicine. Box 1 is emergency surgery.
What's one Box 2 activity you could spend 30 minutes on today that might prevent a future crisis? ⏱️
Vijay Sha is an Executive Mindset Coach with over 24 years of international experience in performance management and leadership development. He has guided hundreds of managers through the transformation from "acting like leaders" to becoming authentic executives who naturally command respect and drive results.
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