Table 1

Covey's Time Management Matrix Technique (TMMT) for physicians

	Important	Less important*
Urgent	I	III
Urgent	▸ Page concerning patient with chest pain ▸ Grant submission due in 48 h ▸ National meeting presentation due in 3 days ▸ Upcoming annual meeting with chief to review goals and responsibilities	▸ Routine patient phone calls ▸ Immediate patient billing ▸ Routine medication refills ▸ Complete trainee evaluation forms ▸ Interview medical school candidates

Less urgent*	II	IV
Less urgent*	▸ Grant submission due in 3–6 months ▸ New innovative educational curriculum ▸ Write review article ▸ Document patient encounters in EMR ▸ Committee chairperson to prepare agenda for upcoming meeting ▸ Planning new clinical quality improvement initiative ▸ Review long-term career goals	▸ Email ▸ Non-urgent letters of recommendation ▸ Routine paperwork ▸ Routine committee meeting

*The definition of which activities are less important or less urgent varies by the physician's job description, and academic and administrative necessity, as well as local institutional forces.
EMR, electronic medical record.