I dream of Quadrant II (topic 6)

So, I am currently going back through my readings, catching up on ones I have not done, refreshing the brain cells on those that I have read in regards to writing assignment 2. Way too much for my head to handle (I think to myself) but press on I must!

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I attended a conference with James Nottingham as the speaker. During his presentations, he touched on the work of Stephen Covey. "Oh, I've read him" I thought to myself smugly as I glanced around at blank faces of my colleagues. "I am so up with it!" Well, yes, I had read it, but in the context of...."Oh, I have so much reading to do, I'll just quickly skim this one, this one and this one and at least I can say I have read them." Therefore, I hadn't so much read Covey's work as recognised the name and had a very vague idea of his work.

So, this morning in my quest for a deeper understanding so that I can actually assemble something that hopefully meets the criteria of assignment 2, I re-read Covey. Ummm, possibly helpful some time ago...not just in the context of this course but in my life! I think that I spend the majority of time anywhere but in Quadrant II. I am a born procrastintor and always tell myself that 'I work better under pressure'. Therefore, I wait and wait until... BAM... I have an assignment due, reports to write, units to plan etc etc and they need to be in next week or tomorrow or today and I do it. I need crises to get things done. I live in Quadrant I. Everything else falls by the wayside (family, friends) until I meet these deadlines. Then, I can take time out for these things again, pushing all else onto the backburner until....BAM....the cycle starts again. It is how I have always worked and this has worked for me in the past. BUT (and this is a BIG but), when I was completing my BA/BT and when I began work as a teacher, the only person I had to think about was me. I was young and single and it was all about me!! Now, as I battle through this course with the same mindset that has always worked before, I have forgotten to take some very important people into consideration...namely my husband and 2 daughters. I can't just push them aside while I get on with completing something that I have had weeks to do, but choose to leave till the last moment. A hungry family waits for no man (or essay!). Nor does a 4 year old who desperately wants to show Mummy something that she has done at kinder. Or, indeed, a 21 month old who has taken to turning the computer off at just the wrong moment if Mummy is spending too much time on it and not enough with her. Time management has never been my strong point, but I think that after reading Covey, I must make a real effort to work within the confines of Quadrant II. Maybe then, I will have a better balance, both personally and professionally. I know my kids would appreciate it!!