Effective time management with the Eisenhower Matrix method: Put effort into important and non-urgent tasks

Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, serving two consecutive terms from 1953 to 1961. Before becoming President, Eisenhower was a five-star general in the US Army, once the Supreme Commander of the European allied forces in World War II, responsible for planning and joining battlefields in North Africa, France and Germany; has contributed greatly to the development of the US Interstate Highway System, the birth of the Internet (DARPA), the space exploration program (NASA) and the peaceful use of alternative energy sources. (Atomic Energy Act).

In addition to his career, he served as Principal of Columbia University, becoming NATO's first supreme commander and somehow, still allocating time for his two interests: Golfing and painting oil painting.

The question is, how did Eisenhower allocate time to do all of that?

The answer is his method: the Eisenhower Matrix or Eisenhower Box.

Effective time management with the Eisenhower Matrix method: Put effort into important and non-urgent tasks Picture 1

Why is the Eisenhower Matrix method useful?

Imagine a simple situation: The boss asks you to prepare an important presentation for the board meeting early next week.

You only have a few days to complete, a lot of workload and you have a lot of other urgent jobs in the Todo List that need to be solved.

Before such a situation, you are worried, distracted and things start to turn upside down.

Time-related stressors are some of the many causes of work stress and this is considered a consequence of: there is so much to do while time is very limited.

At this point, applying the Eisenhower matrix method will help you determine what is most important to do first and optimize the time effectively.

Eisenhower's method is particularly useful because it forces us to ask whether an action is really necessary, thereby gradually moving towards "eliminating" that task and not repeating it in vain. awake.

Content of the Eisenhower Matrix method

Effective time management with the Eisenhower Matrix method: Put effort into important and non-urgent tasks Picture 2

Important and urgent work

According to Eisenhower, to be able to use time effectively with the highest performance, we have to spend time on important things (Important), not on urgent things (Urgent). Important is often less urgent and urgent is less important. To do this as well as to reduce the pressure of having too many deadlines for the time being, we must first distinguish:

1. The important thing is that the things that are completed will produce results that help us get closer to the set goals , whether it's personal or work goals. More specifically, they contribute directly to long-term tasks, values ​​and goals.
2. Emergency activities require immediate attention and are often associated with other people ( others ' goals), such as emailing, calling, new messages .

When we know what is important and what is urgent, we will overcome the instinctive habit of focusing on unimportant tasks, and having enough time to do the necessary things for Successful Future.

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It is quite simple to separate only the urgency and importance between single jobs, but it is not easy to proceed continuously in an effective manner. The great thing about the Eisenhower method is that it provides a clear framework for repetitive decisions. However, it is important to note that we need to be patient .

How to use the Eisenhower Matrix to manage time effectively

To use this principle, you first need to list all the work that needs to be done , be careful not to miss the time-consuming but unimportant jobs.

The second step is to consider and organize the work in one of the following 4 sections (See drawing).

1. Urgent and important - Important and Urgent (tasks need to be done immediately).
2. Important but not urgent - Important and Not Urgent (tasks are scheduled to do later).
3. Urgent and Not Important - Urgent and Not Important (mission will be entrusted to others).
4. No emergency is not important - Not Important and Not Urgent (mission will be removed).

Effective time management with the Eisenhower Matrix method: Put effort into important and non-urgent tasks Picture 3

P1: Important, urgent
P2: Important, not urgent
P3: Not important, urgent
P4: Not important, not urgent, in which: * P = Priority: Priority

P1 - Important and urgent

The jobs under this section must be done immediately because they are both important and urgent, often including the following types:

1. Do not anticipate when it happens: Take care of sick relatives, urgent meetings, important project-related work emails, conflicts with customers .
2. Predicting when it will happen: Wedding day, parents' birthday, company anniversary .
3. Backlogs due to laziness and sluggish habits: Exam preparation schedule, sending work reports, writing presentation content .

Types 1 and 2 require immediate action, type 3 alone can minimize pressure by transferring them to item P 2.

P2 - Important but not urgent

P2 does not require immediate action (not urgent) but you must do all of them because they are important. Spend more time on this item and try to make it grow , such as practicing reading, learning a foreign language, meditating, learning new skills related to work .

If you are working P2, there is a problem that P1 => prioritizes completing P1 first, then resolving P2 notes rather than going to the next day.

P3 - Not important but urgent

The characteristic of the top job is that they have nothing to do with fulfilling your goals, only that they are urgent, such as someone asking you to buy things while studying, Call from relatives for a long time, no messages from friends .

Effective time management with the Eisenhower Matrix method: Put effort into important and non-urgent tasks Picture 4

The best way is to resolve these jobs as quickly as possible , authorize others to do so , and learn how to say "no", end the call / message politely and refuse to cleverly save time for important things.

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P4 - Not important and not urgent

Spend the least amount of time on this item because they really do not bring any significant benefits, such as surfing Facebook, watching funny videos, movies, reading sensational news, gossiping .

When you intend to do something in group 4, ask yourself what benefits will you get? If there is no or very little, be determined to switch to something else to avoid wasting time.

4 time management tips when using the Eisenhower matrix

1. Write down what to do in your mind. However, always question what needs to be done first.
2. Try each item should only set a maximum of 8 jobs. If you want to add a new task, complete the most important task first. Note that the Eisenhower Matrix does not require you to list, instead determine which work has been completed.
3. Set up a single matrix for both work and personal life, however, you can set up your own matrix for each day / week / month.
4. Do not let others distract you. You are the one who decides the priority for the job. Plan in the morning, then start doing it and end up enjoying the feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day.