25. What are your Quadrant 2 tasks?

Now, most people probably don't know what a Quadrant 2 task is.  Neither did I until I started this exercise.  It's part of a time management system that is supposed to help you manage your time better by organizing and prioritizing your tasks and goals.  And I have a chart!

I really only have a superficial understanding of all this, so I'm not going to go into a deep explanation.  But, the idea is Quadrant 2 is where you are setting your long term goals. The is where your building blocks for the future reside and where you're identifying steps for your goals and setting deadlines. It's also an area I'm sorely lacking in.

I spend lot more time in Quadrant 1, working on my short term goals, reacting to issues that come come up and thinking on my feet.  And that's not necessarily a bad thing, because one of my skills is that I do very well under pressure.  There's a part of me that even enjoys that rush when I come across a difficult problem, people want help NOW and I'm the one who can fix it.  It's one of the reasons I was so good at my job at DSS.  I was always the person that was called out to deal with the complex situations, the toughest cases and most difficult people. The down side of it was that it also burned me out.  I never got to relax and I lost sight of taking care of myself so that I could continue to take care of business.  That's why I'm working on trying to reduce my stress and slow down.  I don't want to burn out again.

Long term planning is not something I'm good at.  It's really hard thinking about all these plans.  It's hard to reframe my thinking and planning from what do I need to take care of today vs. what do I need to plan for to be where I want in five years?  I admit, I've not put enough thought into how I'm going to achieve what I want.  I don't even know where to start in some areas, I think I just trust that if I take it day to day, the solutions will present themselves.  It's more of a haphazard way of thinking, but it's also taken me down some interesting paths.

I worry too much planning will restrict me.  (It's also important to keep in mind when it comes to Quadrant 2, that one has to make sure not fall into the trap of scheduling and planning everything, otherwise you get bogged down by it and lose out on other opportunities that may arise. Everything in balance...) I like having the freedom to make the choices as they come and see where it leads me.  But I also have to start taking more long term responsibility. I just got licensed as an insurance agent.  I don't want to treat it as just another job, I want it to be a career and an opportunity for growth.  I like the fact that I can continue to help people, while I'm also doing something that's going to make me more financially stable.  It's nice to see myself not struggle so much and actually be able to put some money down towards my debts.  But I also still see that goal as me still focusing on the immediate vs. the long term. And although I want to have a better life and a family, I just haven't identified all the steps on how to achieve it.  So, maybe for now my Quadrant 2 is still in the information gathering and analysis stage so I can formulate a doable plan.  It doesn't sound like a lot, but I suppose even the smallest step is better than none.