We’ve all been there. You work late, pour your heart into something, hit “send,” and sit back proudly… only to realize you’ve nailed the right thing—at the wrong time. Ouch. It still hurts to remember those times.
That sting is real in the workplace, and it happens far more often than we admit. The truth is that timing can make or break great work.
Stephen Covey, in his classic The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, reminds us that there’s a difference between the clock—our urgent, deadline-driven tasks—and the compass—our meaningful, purpose-driven work.
He illustrates this with his famous Time Management Matrix:
- Quadrant I: Urgent and Important (crises, deadlines)
- Quadrant II: Not Urgent but Important (planning, relationship-building)
- Quadrant III: Urgent but Not Important (interruptions, low-value meetings)
- Quadrant IV: Not Urgent and Not Important (scrolling social media at your desk…)
Covey urges us to spend more time in Q2—the compass work that matters long-term—rather than just reacting to urgency.
A couple of years ago, I crafted the most amazing proposal of my career. Every sentence sparkled. Every idea was brilliant. It was a proposal that would blow all the other proposals out of the water, and I was going to land a huge project that had me super excited. Or so I thought.
Because the project was so big, I didn’t rush to create the proposal as I assumed it would be a slow-moving process. I took my time to ensure that my proposal was the best one they received. I wasn’t late, but I wasn’t speedy with it either, and sent it over a few days after our discussion.
What did I learn? The client had already shifted gears to an entirely new project. My perfect proposal? Dead on arrival. No big contract, no proud moment.
I’ve had administrative professionals aspire to be the Canadian Administrative Professional of the Year (an award we present annually), and they need to complete paperwork to be considered and to inform the judges of their exceptional job performance. I’ve had admins send the final paperwork in after the deadline. I don’t extend the deadline regardless of how great they are.
👉 Lesson: Even brilliance loses its shine if it arrives too late.
When I work with companies in a consulting capacity, I typically give a presentation to show them how I can help them save time and money (I specialize in office efficiencies). Years ago, I created what I thought was the Mona Lisa of presentations—polished graphics, tight data, clever animations. I was ready to wow.
Only one problem: leadership had already decided against the project. They never even opened my presentation.
👉 Lesson: Beautiful documents don’t matter when the decision is already made.
We need to block out time for Quadrant II tasks, which include strategic planning, growth, and relationships. Find time in each day (even if it is only 15 minutes) to spend doing the things that are important but not urgent.
We need to avoid responding to every email within 60 seconds. Instead, take time to ensure you are responding professionally, thoughtfully, and thoroughly. We all get frustrated when people don’t read our emails, so be sure we aren’t reacting too quickly and not reading thoroughly. Ask yourself, “Is answering this email the smartest thing for me to be doing right now?”
We need to review your week and your to-do list against Covey’s matrix. What is urgent vs non-urgent? What is important vs not as important? Work smarter, not harder.
We need to work hard to ensure that small interruptions don’t hijack your day. Create a to-do list that makes sense instead of responding to each request as it hits you. You’ll be busy if you work that way, but you won’t feel like you got much done each day.
Falling into bad timing has consequences:
- Burnout– You’re busy but not effective.
- Missed Decisions– Wait too long, and the window closes.
- Crisis Mode– Neglect Quadrant II, and suddenly everything feels urgent.
Covey warned that living this way turns us into “crisis managers”—always reacting, and while many of us feel like that due to the nature of our jobs, it doesn’t have to be that way.
I used to write my weekly article on Monday mornings. I would spend the weekend thinking about what I wanted to write about, formulate the article in my head, and then sit down on Monday or Tuesday to write it (my newsletter is sent on Tuesday afternoons, FYI). Unfortunately, Mondays are a busy day for me! I’d be halfway through writing the article when important emails would fill my inbox. Far too often, I would either work later than I had planned or I would rush with the article (which I never want to do).
Now, I typically write my articles on Friday afternoons. I’m rarely delivering workshops on Fridays, and my email is quiet, which gives my working brain a break on the weekend instead of thinking about what I should be writing about.
👉 Lesson: Even the best habits fail if they clash with the rhythms of your office.
Think of your workday as a dance. If you only move to the chaos of the clock, you’ll step on toes or miss the music entirely. But if you follow the compass, you’ll guide the rhythm—and the timing will finally work in your favor.
So the next time you’re knee-deep in work, pause and ask:
- Am I doing the right thing?
- And am I doing it at the right time?
Because in the end, timing really is everything.