Chuck Sears The Eisenhower Matrix is a task management tool that helps you organize and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. In a 1954 speech, Eisenhower said, “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” I’ll explain how to set up an Eisenhower Matrix and provide tips for task prioritization.
Using The Eisenhower Matrix, you’ll divide your tasks into four quadrants based on the tasks you’ll do first, the tasks you’ll decide to schedule later, the tasks you’ll delegate, and the tasks you’ll delete.
A long to-do list of tasks can be simplified by utilizing the Eisenhower Matrix. Go through these tasks and separate them by quadrant. Once you can see your tasks in their designated quadrants, you’ll be able to accomplish your most important work.
Quadrant 1 – Do
The “do” quadrant is where you’ll place any tasks that are both urgent and important. When you see a task on your to-do list that must be done now, has clear consequences, and affects your long-term goals, place it in this quadrant.
It should be obvious which tasks belong in this quadrant because they are the ones that are on your mind the most and are probably causing you the most stress. Please keep in mind Pareto’s Law, though, as one of these might be the 20% that contributes to 80% of your confusion.
Quadrant 2 – Decide or Schedule
This is where you’ll place any tasks into the Eisenhower Matrix that are not urgent but are still important. Since these tasks pertain to your long-term goals but don’t need to be done right away, you can decide to schedule these tasks for later.
You’ll tackle these tasks right after you tackle the tasks in quadrant one. You can use various time management tips to help you accomplish the tasks in this quadrant. Some helpful strategies may include the Pareto principle or the Pomodoro method.
Quadrant 3 – Delegate
The “delegate” quadrant is where you’ll place any tasks that are urgent but not important. These tasks must be completed now, but they don’t affect your long-term goals.
You can assign these jobs from the Eisenhower Matrix to other team members, as you do not have a personal connection to them and they probably do not call for your particular skill set to finish. One of the best strategies to control your workload and allow your team to develop their skill set is to delegate duties to others.
Quadrant 4 – Delete
There will be a few tasks left over after you have completed your to-do list and added the items to the first three quadrants. The remaining tasks were neither critical nor urgent.
Simply put, these irrelevant, non-urgent distractions are preventing you from reaching your objectives. Put these last-minute tasks in the fourth quadrant, which is the “delete” quadrant.
Print your free Eisenhower Matrix here …
