The Eisenhower Matrix

It’s like a productivity compass that helps you make better decisions.

Feeling overwhelmed? I've got you covered.

Introducing the Eisenhower Matrix—a nifty little tool that helps you sort out your priorities. And it's named after the big shot who was President of the United States and 5-star Army General back in the day.

Eisenhower would take a piece of paper and draw a square and divide it in four quadrants. He would label the top left quadrant “urgent and important”, the top right quadrant “important but not urgent”, the bottom left quadrant “urgent but not important”, and the bottom right quadrant “not urgent and not important.”

He would then go through his to-do list and categorize each task into one of these quadrants. Tasks that were urgent and important, such as a pressing military crisis, would be his top priority. Tasks that were important but not urgent, such as long-term strategic planning, would be scheduled for later. Tasks that were urgent but not important, such as routine administrative tasks, would be delegated to someone else. And tasks that were not urgent and not important, such as irrelevant meetings or distractions, would be eliminated.

Eisenhower himself used this matrix to manage his workload during World War II. So, why not give it a try?

If it's good enough for a President, it's good enough for you.