Protect your deep work time. Use this simple matrix in 4todo to triage bugs, schedule feature work, and make time for refactoring. Write better code, faster.
Fix a critical production bug causing data corruption
This is an all-hands-on-deck issue. It's urgent, important, and requires immediate focus to prevent further damage.
Resolve a security vulnerability with a high severity score
Merge a feature branch that is blocking the rest of the team
Refactor a complex, brittle piece of legacy code
This is a classic Q2 task. It's not urgent until it breaks, but doing it now prevents future emergencies and improves velocity.
Write comprehensive integration tests for a core service
Research and prototype a new technology for an upcoming project
Answering a non-blocking question in a team chat channel
This is a major source of context-switching. Let these questions sit for a bit and answer them in a dedicated block of time.
Attending a meeting where your technical input is not required
Minor code cleanup or optimization that isn't a bottleneck
Endlessly configuring your code editor's theme and plugins
Arguing about code style minutiae that a linter can and should handle
Building a 'cool' side project instead of finishing your sprint tasks
Save your progress and never lose track of your tasks
Tasks in this quadrant are highly important, and the deadline is right around the corner. It's like having a paper due tonight or a client's system suddenly going down. You have to drop everything else, get on it right now, and give it your full focus. This is your top priority.
This is the foundation for your long-term success. These are things that matter for your future but aren't urgent right now, like learning a new skill, exercising, or planning for next month. Because they're not urgent, they're easy to forget. What you need to do is put them on your schedule, set a fixed time for them, and stick to it.
These tasks may seem urgent, but they're not important to you. They're the kind that interrupt your flow, like unnecessary meetings or small favors others ask of you. The best approach is to let someone else handle them or deal with them quickly, and don't let them steal your valuable time.
Tasks in this quadrant are neither important nor urgent. They're purely a drain on your time and energy, like mindlessly scrolling on your phone. The best approach is simply not to do them, and save that time for the tasks in the Yellow quadrant.
"Thanks to 4todo, our hectic wedding schedule was perfectly organized."
"4todo was an indispensable helper on my long-distance hike."
"Helps me ignore the noise and focus on what moves my work forward."
Save this task list to your 4todo account and start prioritizing what matters most.
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