When you’re swamped with a todo list that’s as long as the first draft of war and peace, it can be difficult to decide what the to do next. One tool can help sort out the mess and bring focus and clarity to your day. It is, as the title suggests, the Eisenhower Matrix or Covey Matrix.
This technique is not really new, it existed long before Eisenhower’s time. But this helps us to understand that this technique has been helpful to others for hundreds of years.
So, how does it work?
Start by listing everything that is on your mind, all the things that must be done.
Now, take a piece of paper and fold it in half then in half again to form a grid with four quadrants.
The horizontal axis is the importance of the task. Importance increases as we move to the right.
The vertical axis is the urgency. Urgency increase as we move up.
So your four quadrants are:
1 – Urgent and important
2 – Not Urgent and important
3 – Urgent but unimportant
4 – Not Urgent and unimportant
Next, transfer the todo items from your list into the matrix. For each item, determine first if it is urgent, then if it is important. It is necessary to break down your list in this order as it helps you to think through what you really have to do.
Unfortunately, the words urgent and important are often used interchangeably but in reality they mean very different things.
For something to be urgent, it must have a deadline and a consequence. So, for example, a medical emergency is urgent but so is that flyer you get in the mail every week telling you… From this we see that not everything that is urgent is important.
If something is important, it is something that moves you toward a goal. It is likely to have an effect on your success, survival or well-being. Preparing healthy meals has a positive effect on survival so it is important. Spending time with friends promotes well-being so it is important. You have to decide for yourself what is and isn’t important, but it helps to ask yourself: Does it move me toward toward my goals, support my survival or well-being? If so, it’s probably important.
Now your matrix is filled out. Here’s how we work the list.
The items in quadrant 1 are to be done as soon as possible.
Quadrant 2 items will be scheduled on your calendar.
Quadrant 3 items should be delegated to someone else. They are not worth your attention.
Quadrant 4 items should be abandoned. Just don’t do them.
Using the Eisenhower matrix is most useful when you have a lot to do and don’t know where to start. So this simple technique can help you to regain control of your time, and make sure that more of the important things get done.
If you found this helpful or something is unclear, let me know in the comments.
