What is Q2 Work? How to Prioritize for Short AND Long-Term Results

Time to read: 4 minutes

Article at a glance:

• Q2 work is important but not urgent and often skipped in favor of urgent tasks.
  
• Neglecting Q2 leads to chaos in Q1, making everyday work more stressful and reactive.
  
• Investing in Q2 creates smoother systems, stronger teams, and fewer crises.
  
• Q2 starts with culture. It’s how we prevent burnout and make space for meaningful, sustainable growth.

You might have heard the story of the Chinese bamboo tree that we like to talk about here.

When you plant a Chinese bamboo tree, you’ve got to water and fertilize it frequently for YEARS while it stays a tiny plant. But eventually, it hits a tipping point and starts shooting up around 5 feet per DAY.

Our Q2 work is a lot like that.

So, what does Q2 mean? Why is it important? And why do we have all these meetings about it?

The concept of Q2 (Quadrant 2) comes from Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. More specifically, Habit 3, “First things first,” which is the idea of prioritizing the things that really matter both in the short and long term.

Our Version of the Time Management Matrix looks like this:

Each quadrant falls into different combinations of two factors:  

• Urgent - These things require our immediate attention. They have to get done, or we’ll run into problems right away.  
• Important - These things contribute to our mission, values, and the long-term results we’re looking for in those areas. (This applies to your work life and personal life, by the way, because they impact each other!)

Side note: At Redmond, we try to stay away from Quadrants 3 and 4, because why waste your time on stuff that’s not important?

As you can see, Quadrant 1 is important and urgent.

In Q1 we find tasks like production, customer service, and necessary daily activities.

This is also where we find pressing problems and crises. They’re important and need our attention right now. They can’t wait because if we neglect production today, it could blow up in our faces tomorrow. When we neglect Q2, those Q1 tasks are like screaming toddlers that demand action and make our lives very unpleasant if we ignore them.

Quadrant 2 is important but not urgent.

Q2 is the important stuff that’s easy to skip because there won’t be immediate consequences if it doesn’t get done.

The problem is, if we neglect Q2 and allocate ALL our time to Q1, those urgent tasks will start feeling less and less fulfilling, and even fall through the cracks. This is when life starts to feel as if we’re just running around with our hair on fire all day, which isn’t fun for long.

While both Q1 and Q2 are important, dedicating time to Q2 can actually help us find flow in Q1 instead of putting out fires.

To be clear, we’re not trying to avoid or shrink Q1. In fact, Q1 tasks are the main focus for almost all of our associates! The idea here is that Q2 work removes friction from our Q1 work, and allows those immediate tasks to feel easy and fun instead of pressing and stressful.

When we take the time for Q2 work...

…Fewer things fall through the cracks.

…Fewer things break down.

…Customers are happier because production and fulfillment are smooth.

…Associates are more relaxed because there are fewer pressing problems on their plate.

…Our everyday work feels easier, though we get more done.

…Communication and relationships are much stronger and healthier.

It Starts With Culture

Q2 is all about making our work experience more fulfilling.

When Q1 work runs smoothly, we can put more energy into doing great work instead of scrambling to stay afloat.

A little Q2 can go a long way!

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