The Eisenhower Matrix: Are Your Tasks Important and Urgent Enough?

Some of us have been working from home for a while, but the same problems persist, such as:

• The constant stream of urgent tasks,
• Spend too much time on the wrong duties so that even when you finished a lot of tasks, you are not accomplishing much.

If you relate to these problems, you need the Eisenhower matrix.

The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management tool that can help you to be more productive. In essence, you categorise and prioritise your tasks into four categories:

1. Urgent and important: Accomplish these tasks ASAP.

2. Important, but not urgent: Schedule these tasks for later.

3. Urgent, but not important:  If possible, delegate these tasks.

4. Neither urgent nor important: If possible, get rid of these tasks.

Below is an Eisenhower matrix. This model is simple, and you will need to place each of your tasks into one of these four quadrants.

The Eisenhower Matrix.

Here are some instances of tasks that could belong to each of these quadrants. 

1. Do it today

These tasks are equally important and urgent that you have to finish them ASAP. Here are some examples of important and urgent tasks:

• Finishing your tax return on the due date.
• Managing an angry client.
• Managing an urgent request from your supervisor, which you need to start today.
• Finish writing a report that's close to the deadline.
• Demonstrating a product to a potential customer

2. Schedule a time to do it

These are important tasks, but you do not need to finish them ASAP. Here are some examples:

• Researching the company's competitors.
• Updating the organisational strategy.
• Performing project work that you have planned.
• Completing the employee satisfaction survey.
• Building your network. 
• Continue with your professional development, such as learning new skills. 

You will need to schedule these tasks into your calendar so you will not forget them. 

3. Delegate

These tasks are not important, but you need to complete them ASAP. These are some examples:

• Booking flights or rides.
• Finishing online tax return ahead of its due date.
• Paying your invoices.
• Meetings without any agenda.
• Emails that are low priority.
• Household chores. 

If you can, you should try delegating as many of these tasks as possible. Although you need to complete the tasks, they are not moving you towards your goals. 

This quadrant can be confusing to some as they would think that booking a flight is both urgent and important because if you don't do it, you will lose the chance to sign an important client, for example. 

One way to approach this quadrant is by asking yourself, "Is it important that I do the task?". For instance, it may be important for you to attend a client meeting, but it is not important for you personally to book your flight to get to the meeting. 

Pointless meetings waste everyone's time. Do not automatically receive every meeting request. Instead, consider if you need to be there at all and whether there is someone who could go in your place.

4. Eliminate

These tasks are not important, nor are they urgent. These tasks are nothing but wasting your time. Some examples include:

• Browsing social media (if your work does not include browsing Facebook).
• Reading news sites.
• Changing your desktop wallpaper.
• Chatting with coworkers.
• Casual internet browsing.

These "escape activities" are not necessary, but you may not want to eliminate them entirely. For instance, chatting with coworkers can be helpful as long as you keep it short and sweet. 

The point is to change how you perform these tasks to be more mindful when you do them. This matrix helps you to plan these activities into your day instead of doing them to escape. For instance, give yourself 20 minutes during lunchtime to browse the news as you have your lunch. It is a measured way to read the news than random browsing throughout your workday. 

Work on the right tasks

The Eisenhower matrix can help you to prioritise your tasks, but it is not foolproof. You must have defined goals for it to work. Otherwise, it becomes hard to determine if a task is important or not. 

If you have been trying to create your own Eisenhower matrix but failing, you should revisit your goals. 

Source: Expert Program Management

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