Task management is one of the core processes in time management. This answers the key question, "What is the best use of my time right now?"

In order to answer this question, we need to identify the various demands on our time, make a list of tasks, prioritize the tasks, filter the list of tasks, and act on the remaining tasks.

The demands on our time stem from the various roles we have in our personal and professional lives. They can also be classified under routine tasks, required tasks, optional tasks, obligatory tasks, desired tasks, and goal-oriented tasks. By thinking of the various roles and goals within each role, we could come up with quite a large list of tasks that need to get done.

After the lists are made, we must prioritize the tasks according to importance and urgency. Tasks fall into four classes or quadrants: Quadrant I (Urgent and Important), Quadrant II (Important but Not Urgent), Quadrant III (Urgent but Not Important), and Quadrant IV (Neither Important Nor Urgent...