The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Time Management Matrix, was first created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during his presidency, and later popularized by Stephen R. Covey in his bestselling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Eisenhower Matrix is a productivity tool that entrepreneurs can use to become more productive.
It can help you on How To Prioritize Your Business And Productivity that you need to complete each day. When it comes to the tasks and activities you need to work as an entrepreneur, it is essential to understand that not all tasks are created equal. Some of the tasks you complete will provide a substantial outcome, while others provide you with next to nothing. Unfortunately, both kinds of tasks take time to complete.
The Eisenhower Matrix can help you determine which tasks you should focus on by creating two categories of tasks, those that are important and those that are urgent. This division of tasks into two categories will require you to understand the difference between an important task and an urgent task. Having a clear understanding of this will help you to prioritize your tasks and activities using the Eisenhower Matrix.
The Four Quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix
Urgent Not UrgentImportantQuadrant of Necessities 1- Quadrant of Quality 2- Not Important
3 - Quadrant of Deception
4 - Quadrant of Waste
Quadrant I
The first quadrant in the matrix is referred to as the Quadrant of Necessities and should contain those tasks and activities that are both important and urgent. These are the tasks and activities that you have to deal with immediately. Some examples are project deadlines and family emergencies. These are the kinds of tasks, that if not attended to quickly, can have terrible consequences. However, even though the time you spend in this first quadrant can't be avoided, you can significantly reduce the time in this quadrant if you spend more time working on tasks and activities that belong in the second quadrant.
Quadrant II
This second quadrant is referred to as the Quadrant of Quality. The tasks that fall in this quadrant are those proactive tasks that will improve or help you maintain your quality of life. The more time you can spend working on tasks in this quadrant, the less time you will have to spend in the other three quadrants. Some things that would fall into this quadrant of the matrix are planning for the days ahead and evaluating your performance to see if you are doing what you expected. Most of these tasks are related to personal development and are tasks that you know you should be working on, but aren't under a time crunch to complete them.
Quadrant III
The third quadrant of the matrix consists of tasks and activities that are urgent, but that isn't important, and that won't move you forward in accomplishing your goals. It is essential for your productivity to minimize or eliminate as many of these tasks as possible. These tasks tend to drain your energy and waste your time. This quadrant is known as the Quadrant of Deception, and if you spend your time and energy working on tasks that fall in this quadrant, you'll find yourself wondering where your time went.
Some examples of tasks that would fall in this quadrant are answering non-important phone calls, replying to non-work messages, and chatting on the Internet with someone about trivial matters. You can reduce the time that you spend on the activities and tasks in this quadrant by learning how to say ‘no’ and delegating work to others.
Quadrant IV
The fourth and final quadrant contains tasks and activities that are neither urgent nor important. These tasks don’t have to be completed right away, and you should try to minimize or eliminate them because they don’t add much value to your daily progress. This quadrant is known as the Quadrant of Waste. As an entrepreneur, you need to be mindful of when you are working in this quadrant. The tipping point starts when you spend too much time doing mindless activities that should be allocated to your free time.
Some of the tasks and activities that would fall in this quadrant of the matrix are watching television, engaging in gossip, surfing the Internet, and spending too much time on social media.
How To Use The Eisenhower Matrix to Increase Productivity
Urgent tasks require your immediate attention, while important tasks contribute to your goals, mission, and values. As an entrepreneur, you should be focusing your energy on completing tasks that fall in the second quadrant of the matrix, those tasks that are important, but not urgent. While the Eisenhower Matrix seems simple and easy to follow, most people have the tendency to deal with urgent activities first, even if they aren't crucial to reaching their goals.
This often happens because these kinds of activities tend to press you for your time and attention, causing you to ignore the tasks and activities in the second quadrant. When you sit down to create your to-do list for the following day, place each item in one of the four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix. The things that fall in the second quadrant are those tasks that will move you forward in reaching your goals and are those tasks that you need to set aside time to accomplish them.
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