Eisenhower Matrix - Plan Progress

What Is the Eisenhower Matrix?
I was today-old when I learned this quadrant of ways to prioritize tasks is as old as  (and attributed to!) President Dwight D. Eisenhower! According to James Clear, this method of organizing tasks to maximize your productivity is what made Eisenhower so successful as a five-star general, President of the United States, and more. It's a great story. I simply knew it as "that four-quadrant system for important/urgent tasks." 



Does It Really Work? 
I've been playing with it recently and am impressed so far, but it's not easy - not gonna lie. When you consider we each make at least 35,000 decisions daily, no wonder we're tired at the end of the day! There are some matters that are purely routine in my day (wake up, shower, brush teeth, eat breakfast). The decision's been made in my book, so we move on. There have to be ways to drop that 35,000 down to something reasonable! 

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It Works for FranklinCovey and Dave Ramsey!

• Now that's a pretty resounding endorsement! The FranklinCovey Time Matrix echoes the Eisenhower Matrix. (I knew I'd seen this in other self-help venues - I'm still adjusting to this goes as far back as the 1950s!)
  
• I was recently reminded of this quadrant on an audio version of Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership where he plans his A, B, & C activities for the day, focusing on his "A-1 sauce" as his highest priority for the day.
  

It's Not As Easy As All That
So some of us can take the "routine" decisions out of the 35,000 equation. That leaves us to focus on the more important priorities and goals in our lives. Let's break this down a bit and why something so long-lasting and time-tested is not all that easy to live with.

• Q1/Urgent Important: These are the "fires" that come up. Hopefully these can be on the limited side of life as these trigger stress and the ol' "fight or flight" response. Life does happen with unexpected occasions, but, with planning, hopefully we can reduce these.
• Q2/Not Urgent/Important: This is the majority of our life/career decisions. These are the activities we've deemed important enough to place on our calendars. These create "work-life balance." This can become an overwhelming box! Thoughtful time is needed to keep this in check. I'm doing better here with my current year's goals per Jon Acuff's method. (lots of resources from Jon)
• Q3/Urgent Not Important: Delegation. I go more with FranklinCovey here - these are definitely Distractions! How many can be Delegated? Not as sure about that, but #goals. I mostly aim to simply turn down the volume on these for now. If you can delegate, amazing! This quadrant can be tiresome trying to manage. Are there items I can delegate? I struggle here. Asking others for help or to step up is hard - we're all busy. Maybe it's-easier-if-I-do-it is a thing for you - ongoing challenge here I need to get past.
• Q4/Not Urgent Not Important: Delete. Now, wouldn't that be nice! I'm working hardest here for now - identify the time wasters. Am I diverting myself in education when I need to focus on other work tasks? Am I lost in decision fatigue and surfing on social media, not for intentional work focus but mindless scrolling? 

How do you do with this quadrant concept?

• Do you actively use it?
  
• Sort of?
  
• What quadrants are your biggest challenge? Mine is better managing Q3 items to reduce or remove them.

If it's time for you to delegate some of your less favorite work tasks, we may be able to collaborate! I would love to take some of your tasks off your plate for you to focus on your "A-1 sauce." Let's Chat!

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