Principles and Concepts of Effective Time Management (Part 2)

“The Goal Focus Principle”

“Most people don’t have a time management problem; they have a goal focus problem.”

— Denis Waitley

Hi! My name is Robert West. I’m “The Quiet Time Planner Guy”.

I’m the guy who helps busy, goal-oriented people schedule daily quiet time to meet with God so they can experience the joy and rest of His presence in their daily lives.

I achieve this objective with the help of an award-winning “right brain” calendar system I designed called (you guessed it), “The Quiet Time Planner™”.

The system was inspired by the response I received from a whispered prayer I offered to God for healing from a serious case of chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) with which I was suffering.

During my recovery, the Lord began showing me an effective and sensible way to manage my life. It centered on spending consistent uninterrupted, daily quiet time with Him.

Along the way, I was introduced to other general principles and concepts of effective time management that were helpful to me.

In this post I will focus on “The Goal Focus Principle” and discuss how this concept makes The Quiet Time Planner™ unique among calendar systems.

“Left Brain” Work

In Part 1 of this series of posts, I shared the Eisenhower Matrix which is a decision making tool that Stephen Covey transformed into a time management tool.

As a time management tool, the Eisenhower Matrix is comprised of four quadrants into which four “left brain” decision making types of work are compartmentalized and managed.

A general description of each type of work and its relationship to the four quadrants is illustrated by the picture below.

“Right Brain” Work

By contrast, The Quiet Time Planner™ Matrix is a “goal focus” tool comprised of four quadrants into which four “right brain” life management types of work are synthesized and scheduled.

A general description of each type of work and its relationship to the four quadrants is illustrated by the picture below.

“Whole Brain” System

The side-by-side comparison of the two illustrations will help you understand how The Quiet Time Planner™ is unique in the calendar world. It offers “right brain” goal-oriented solutions to “left brain” time management challenges — which allows the two hemispheres of the brain to work together in ways that increase effectiveness and reduce stress.

In future posts, I will examine each individual quadrant of the matrix in greater detail and discuss specific types of work and priorities that best fit into each.

This will help move the conversation from general principles to practical application.

See you next time!

Robert West, The Quiet Time Planner Guy