Triage your to-do list with the Eisenhower Matrix
How to triple your productivity with this simple tool.
Caught in a whirlwind of endless tasks? Feeling overwhelmed with everything on your to-do list? As fellow business owners — we know all too well what that feels like!
You don’t have to keep falling further and further behind on your schedule. There’s a better way to get things done and stay focused on what matters.
Enter the Eisenhower Matrix.
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the ‘Urgent-Important Matrix’, helps you prioritise and action tasks according to their urgency and importance while also delegating or removing non-urgent and non-important tasks.
It was developed by Dwight D. Eisenhower — the 34th President of the United States, then later repackaged by Stephen Covey into a simple tool, now known as the Eisenhower Matrix.
We often refer to the Eisenhower framework at Leader Guide in our Business Coaching, as it aligns with three key productivity principles:
You can’t do everything and be productive.
Just because something is urgent, doesn’t mean it’s important.
If you focus on everything — then nothing is a priority.
When to use the Eisenhower Matrix:
Use it if you find yourself:
Running around all day ‘putting out fires’
Stuck in busy work that leaves you feeling unfulfilled
Always running out of energy to pursue your long-term goals
Struggling to delegate or say NO to tasks
How it works
There are 4 quadrants to the Matrix that you can prioritise and decide on tasks:
➀ Do (First):
Focus first on the important tasks to be done.
➁ Schedule:
Important, but non-urgent items should be scheduled to be done.
➂ Delegate:
What’s urgent, but less important, you should delegate to others.
➃ Delete (Don’t Do):
What’s neither urgent nor important, should not be done at all. Delegate or delete it.
The strength of this Matrix as a tool is that helps you go through a process of questioning what is worth doing first.
You’ll find your list of ‘48 things’ on your mind, becomes 8 things. Which you can make real progress on.
This regular habit of prioritising tasks frees up your mind.
Triage your to-do list today
Time is one of the most important and finite things we have.
We can’t buy more time, but we can apply good time management tools such as the Eisenhower Matrix and increase our effectiveness and efficiency as leaders.
The key is in not spending time, but in investing it. – Stephen R. Covey.
Download our Eisenhower Matrix Template to use in your business and life:
Further reading on this topic, as recommended by our Community:
The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey
Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less
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