It goes by many different names: the Urgent/Important Matrix, the Time Management Matrix, or the Eisenhower Matrix. Whatever you call it, these four simple boxes can reduce stress and bring clarity to your day.
Have you had the experience of running through your day putting out one fire after another? By the time you have the chance to take a breath and look up at the clock, it’s 5 pm and you haven’t addressed any of the things you were hoping to. If this sounds familiar, then the Eisenhower Matrix is for you.
This handy system, designed by former US President Eisenhower and popularized by Stephen Covey, will help to prioritize your task list in a heartbeat.
When we operate by the tyranny of the urgent, we’re captive to what’s immediately in front of us and lose sight of our strategic goals. Well, you might interject, “if it’s urgent, it must be important!” And alas, that’s where the error lies! There are many things that feel urgent (especially because someone else thinks they’re urgent) but are not important at all. Urgency does not inherently suggest priority.
We know that “work expands to fill the time available” and if we don’t get control of our task list, it will take control of us. When I feel overwhelmed, I use the Eisenhower Matrix to ruthlessly assess my “To Do” list and bring clarity to my day or week.
What can you Delegate or Delete today to bring your team closer to achieving its goals without sacrificing what’s important?
To Do List Done photo by by Artem Podrez on Pexels Eisenhower Matrix from slab.com.