"How to Use Time to Create the Future" - A Nudge for the Surprisingly Difficult Task of "Putting First Things First": Mastering "The 7 Habits" with Nudges, Part 3

"I'm busy with work, I have chores at home, and before I know it, the day is over..."
There is a pile of documents on the corner of the desk. On the desktop of the home computer, the "Board Game Cafe Business Plan" file, which was started as a dream plan for after retirement, lies dormant without being updated.
Things we think we'll "do someday" often end up becoming things we "never get around to doing."

■ What is Habit 3: "Put First Things First"?
In Stephen R. Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," "putting first things first" meanscultivating the habit of spending time on things that are not urgent but important (the top priorities for creating your ideal future).Covey proposes a concept called the "Time Management Matrix," which consists of four quadrants.
1. Urgent and Important (troubleshooting, deadlines for upcoming events)
2. Not Urgent but Important (health management, learning, preparation for the future)
3. Urgent but Not Important (calls to meetings, checking/replying to emails)
4. Neither Urgent nor Important (time on social media, aimless web surfing)
Many people are chased by Quadrant 1 (urgent and important) and pushed around by Quadrant 3 (urgent but not important). When they become exhausted, they escape to Quadrant 4 (neither urgent nor important).
As a result, Quadrant 2 (not urgent but important) tends to be constantly put on the back burner.
Covey says this:

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."In other words, you need to secure time for things that are not urgent but important first, rather than trying to do them in your spare time.
The trick is to "
put the most important things first and adjust other plans around them."

■ Using Nudges to Prioritize "First Things"
"First things" are important, but if you aren't conscious of them, they tend to get pushed back.
This book also explains the importance of delegation to others so that you can secure time for your top priorities. However, I can hear people saying, "There's no one I can delegate to" or "It's faster if I do it myself."
But rest assured. We now have AI, which didn't exist when Covey wrote this book.
Here, I would like to suggest raising awareness using nudges and delegating to AI.
The point is toidentify the "first things" you should do yourself and delegate the rest.

🌱 Nudge 1: "Weekly Planning Session"
　Secure 20 minutes every Sunday night.
　This time is "time to create your ideal future."

• Check "What is the top priority this week?" while looking at your values card.

• Put important things into your schedule first

  • Time with family → Always have dinner together on Friday nights

  • Developing the board game cafe concept → Time to organize the concept on Wednesday nights

  • Health management → Fixed running time on Saturday mornings

AI Support
・Clarify what priorities to work on this week through dialogue with ChatGPT.

• The Concept of Delegation

  • Automating administrative tasks (organizing documents, setting reminders)

  • Researching necessary information

  • Scheduling events

🌱 Nudge ②: 'Visualizing the Important Tasks List'
At the start of the week, list your three most important 'actions' and post them on your desk.
By seeing this every day, those actions will remain in your mind, allowing you to notice
'Oh, this still needs to be done' even during busy times.


AI Support・
Ask Notion AI to manage your progress.

• The Concept of Delegation

  • Automating document organization and progress tracking

  • Generating weekly reports

🌱 Nudge ③: Creating a 'Not-To-Do List'
To achieve what you need to prioritize, deciding what 'not to do' is also important.

• Cut social media check time in half

• Do not attend useless meetings

• Reduce aimless web surfing

AI Support
・Use Notion AI to analyze your 'daily activity log' and identify wasted time

• The Concept of Delegation

  • Create templates for routine email replies

  • Automate report generation

■ Creating the future requires securing just a little bit of time
The future won't move forward if you keep saying, "I'll do it someday."
By making a weekly planning session a habit, what you used to call "I'll do it when I have time" will shift to the mindset of "making time to do it."
The brain is naturally lazy, so it is very good at finding reasons not to do things. On the other hand, it also has the characteristic that even if you don't feel like it, if you just start a little bit, you will end up feeling motivated.
Therefore, even a small amount of time secured for doing the task can produce significant results.

However, be careful about setting that time right before bed. You will end up sleep-deprived like me.

Part 3 Spin-off:
I decided that my top priority is 'what not to do'.

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Habit 4: Think Win-Win