![]() ![]() According to UIM, all tasks that fall into this category are getting priority: “Do Later”. The left top field corresponds to “Important & Not Urgent” tasks.įor example, projects aiming to improve production yield, reduce cost or improve the reliability of the product. These tasks receive the highest priority: “ Do First”. For example, addressing safety or quality issues. Tasks that are Urgent and Important at the same time will fall into this category. The Right top field corresponds to “Urgent & Important” tasks. There is no regular separation of the axes by continuous values, just binary separation: “yes” or “no”, “Urgent” and “Not Urgent”, “Important” and “Not Important”. And here it is – if there is something that impacts the bottom line, generally that will take priority.Urgency and Importance are the coordinates of the space. However, it definitely would work for entrepreneurs as well. In Laura Vanderkam’s ‘ Before Breakfast Podcast‘, she shared a strategy for those that may have their boss delegating multiple projects or tasks without clarity on what comes first. WORK TO THE BOTTOM LINEĪnother interesting concept is to ‘work to the bottom line’. However, by focusing on important and not urgent activities, we minimize category one’s ‘crisis mode’, balance requests in the third category with our own objectives and eliminate the time-wasters of category four. The Eisenhower Matrix will show you how to decide between urgent and important priorities.Īdmittedly, this can be challenging since important tasks don’t press for our attention like urgent ones do. Ignore or say no if possible.Īccording to Covey, to manage our time efficiently we should spend most of it in the second category – important but not urgent. Social media and the Internet often fall in this range. Not Important And Not Urgent – These situations are primarily distractions and should be avoided. Strategies to keep these unimportant but urgent things from derailing you are to set boundaries, politely say “no” or delegate. Consequently, these activities help them achieve their goals and prevent you from achieving yours. Not Important But Urgent – These tasks require immediate attention and most commonly are interruptions from other people. They may not have an immediate deadline but you’ll want to schedule time to complete them well and avoid them becoming urgent. Important But Not Urgent – These activities help you to achieve your goals and to complete important work. A strategy to minimize stress and still tackle these tasks would be not to jam your calendar full every day and instead, to block time to allow for such scenarios. They typically consist of crises, deadlines or problems but also work towards meeting long-term goals. Important and Urgent – This category covers activities that require our immediate attention but that probably were unforeseen or you left until the last minute. Subsequently, slot them into one of these four categories. To use Eisenhower’s Matrix, start by listing all tasks, projects and activities that you feel you have to do. But, if you prefer using pen and paper, you can download an Eisenhower Decision Matrix worksheet. That clears time to do what is essential for your success.įirstly, there is an Eisenhower app that allows you to organize your tasks. When we know which tasks are urgent and which are important, we can overcome the natural tendency to focus on unimportant urgent activities. Likewise, important tasks help us achieve our goals and urgent ones help achieve someone else’s goals. Important tasks can also be urgent but they usually are not and instead, put us in a responsive mode that is calm and rational. Important tasks or activities contribute to our long-term mission and goals. Therefore, they are often the ones we concentrate on and they demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate. Urgent tasks are usually associated with achieving someone else’s goals. This can create a potentially negative mindset. Urgent tasks and activities require immediate attention and as a result, place you in a reactive mode. First, is the task important? Second, is it urgent?įirstly, let’s understand the difference between urgent and important. That belief had him create the Eisenhower Matrix or Eisenhower Principle, a time management tool that Stephen Covey popularized in his book, ‘ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.’ For instance, when confronted with something that needed to be done, he would ask two questions. “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Principle or Eisenhower’s Matrix helps you think about your priorities, and determine which are important and which are, essentially, distractions. ![]()
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