An example of an eisenhower matrix for a week. Eisenhower Square: Focus on the Important, Drop the Unimportant

Hello! In this article, we will talk about one of the most effective time management tools - the Eisenhower Matrix.

Today you will learn:

• What is Eisenhower Matrix;
• How the matrix can be applied in everyday life (with examples);
• What techniques will help you save time.

"Long day until evening, if there is nothing to do" - says popular wisdom. Quite different aphorisms are born among busy people who are racing against time: "How can I add the twenty-fifth hour to the day?"

In a multitasking environment, sooner or later every business person faces the question of a competent allocation of time resources. The starting conditions are equal for every inhabitant of the planet - an hour includes sixty minutes for absolutely everyone. But how effectively people organize their time largely determines the difference between a successful person and a permanent failure.

The Eisenhower Matrix as a Time Management Method

Time management, or - is the conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities in order to increase their efficiency and productivity.

Eisenhower Matrix Is one of the popular time management tools that is used to prioritize business and personal tasks. It is based on the principle of distributing all cases into four categories, depending on the degree of their importance and urgency. The matrix is ​​most conveniently used for short and medium term planning.

This approach was invented by Dwight David Eisenhower, an army general during World War II and later the thirty-fourth president of the United States. The politician has always admired those around him with his ability to keep up with everything.

Once an American was looking in vain for some effective way to manage time and, not finding it among the existing ones, he developed it on his own. The Time Matrix is ​​still striking in its simplicity and genius, and millions of people around the world use it for planning.

Visually, the priority matrix is ​​divided into four quadrants, where the cases fit into the categories: important and urgent, important and non-urgent, unimportant and urgent, unimportant and non-urgent.

The user of the matrix is ​​asked to write all of their planned tasks in these quadrants. The biggest work happens just when a person makes a choice between these fields, thus deciding which things need to be done first and which ones second.

Characteristic of the quadrants

Quadrant A: Important and Urgent

In this field, cases should be recorded that belong to the priority areas of a person's life and cannot be delayed. These areas are usually family, career (for students - study), health and safety.

These cases correspond to the following statements:

1. Failure to do this in the near future will significantly alienate you from one of the long-term goals of your life.

Example. In the near future, you are looking forward to a rise. The manager asks you to submit a progress report as soon as possible. It is important? Yes, because you don't want to miss out on a career opportunity. This is urgent? Yes, because now is the time to show your diligence.

1. Failure to seek medical attention in a timely manner can have serious consequences.

Example. You have a toothache. Important? Everything related to health is always important. Urgently? You risk losing a tooth and won't last long on pain medications.

Quadrant B: Important and Non-Urgent

Most successful people do most of their work in this quadrant. These are daily activities that invariably serve to achieve the main goals in all areas of life. They are all important, but there is no rush, as is the case with the A quadrant.

A successful person does not bring his important affairs to a state of emergency, but accomplishes them gradually. He often has time to deliberately make decisions, building brick by brick the building of his future.

This zone includes all daily activities that directly relate to the priority areas of life: work, family, self-development, health.

There is a single criterion for them:

• It is imperative to complete the task, but it can be postponed for a while if something important and urgent appears.

Example. You are a programmer and must submit your program by Monday. Today is only Thursday, you have everything ready, but you decided to postpone the submission of your work until Friday in order to check everything thoroughly again.

Things from the B quadrant, with a lack of attention, can migrate to the A quadrant. Your goal is to prevent this from happening. It so happens that an important case appears suddenly, for reasons beyond your control. But often we ourselves bring things to such a state, ignoring preventive examinations with a doctor and postponing the implementation of important tasks until the deadline.

Quadrant C: Unimportant and Urgent

These tasks are somewhat remote from your main priorities, but doing them makes your life more comfortable and can serve you well over time.

In this area, there are meetings and conversations that you go to out of politeness or out of necessity, including birthdays of not very close people, suddenly appearing household chores, some work tasks.

Cases in this quadrant have the following characteristics:

1. Getting it done quickly will help.

Example. You were planning to buy an air conditioner and you found out about a sale that will only run for one day. Important? Not particularly. The world will not collapse unless you buy an air conditioner cheaper than you planned. Urgently? Yes, the sale is valid for one day. A nice bonus: an urgent purchase will save your family's budget a little.

1. Completing these tasks indirectly may benefit the main objectives, although this is not guaranteed.

Example. You are a journalist. You are invited to a banquet, where the editor of the newspaper you are interested in may come. Important? Not particularly, everything is too vague. Urgently? Yes, because the banquet will not last forever, you need to make a decision - either go or not.

It is likely that you will find someone to delegate the case from this quadrant. Some unimportant urgent matter can be done for you by your spouse, acquaintance, colleague, or subordinate.

Quadrant D: Unimportant and Non-Urgent

All the affairs of this quadrant can be roughly divided into actual affairs and entertainment. Activities include tasks that will ensure your comfort, make you and your life more beautiful (for example, caring for your appearance), but the task may wait a while.

For a woman it can be a visit to a manicurist, for a man it can be a car wash. Of course, these matters are important in themselves, but not in relation to your main areas of life.

The second group includes a pleasant pastime. Usually it is considered that these deeds are of no use, they are called "time eaters", they are presented as deeds that people do, at least it would be better if they didn’t, and getting rid of them is a laudable goal.

So categorically, you can only talk about bad habits like smoking and the systematic use of strong alcohol. Examples of cases such as communicating on social networks, watching light films, hanging out in clubs, hobby for computer games - all this has the right to be and is necessary for a person if it relaxes him and gives him pleasure.

Firstly, a person is not a robot, he needs to do something just like that, for the soul.

Secondly, unimportant and non-urgent matters can be useful. Many computer games develop thinking, communication in social networks teaches to express thoughts, dancing in clubs helps to warm up. In addition, it has long been known that changing activities is the best rest.

The main condition for this quadrant is not to let it take over most of your time and ignore the main things that move you forward in life.

How to apply the Eisenhower matrix in practice

So, after reviewing the theoretical part, you can experience the effect of the matrix on yourself.

1. On the evening before your first trial day, unfold the planner to the appropriate date and draw a four-field spread. Sign them as shown in the matrix. In the absence of a diary, you can take a regular sheet. If you always carry your tablet or laptop with you, you can create a matrix in Excel.
2. On a separate sheet of paper, write down in a column all the tasks that you intend to do tomorrow (when you acquire the skill of quickly distributing all the tasks in the matrix, you will no longer need this item).
3. Read the cases one at a time and rewrite each case in the appropriate quadrant of the matrix. To do this, you only need to answer two questions: is it important? Is it urgent?

1. In the case of the paper version, leave a free space in each field - tomorrow you will think about other things and add them.
2. Highlight already completed cases with a marker (color).
3. At the end of the day, reschedule the outstanding tasks to the next day (be sure to rewrite them on a new spread of the diary or copy them in a new Excel tab - otherwise they will be "lost").
4. Do not deny yourself the pleasure at the end of the day to look through all the "colored" parts of your matrix, that is, all completed tasks. You will feel the satisfaction of a business person whose day was well spent.

An example of a filled Eisenhower matrix

With our example, we will do as we advised in the previous paragraph - first we write out all the cases in a row, and then we will distribute them in the matrix. In the first person example, a professional massage therapist would reflect.

Here is his to-do list for the day (with a comment to let the reader understand the degree of importance and urgency):

• Today there are 4 massages: at 9 o'clock, at 11 o'clock, at 15 o'clock, at 20 o'clock (during the breaks I will do the rest);
• Go to the accounting department (according to the contract I should receive 60% of the cost for the massage, but in fact I receive only 50% - find out why);
• Buy food for the cat (it's good that I looked - there is only one feeding left);
• Visit a friend in the hospital (a close friend, yesterday broke his arm, bring him something tasty);
• Go to the bank, make a payment for the mortgage (today is the last day when you can pay without penalty);
• Visit friends behind a tent (today is Tuesday, we are planning a family trip on Saturday);
• Go to the pool (the more often I go, the better);
• Buy food (there is something else in the fridge, we will hold out for a couple of days);
• Reply to messages on WhatsApp and VKontakte (just conversations);
• Practice English for at least 20 minutes (there are many foreigners among the clients, it would be necessary to tighten up the language);
• Buy a new gasket for the tap (it is just dripping from the tap, but it is on the verge);
• Go to an appointment with an ophthalmologist (every year, just in case, I go through an examination);
• Get a haircut (the look is still neat, but it's better not to tighten it);
• Throw off to a colleague a book about exercises for back muscles (I promised that I’ll send it right away when I’m at the computer).

Remember: the same thing for different people can live in different quadrants of the matrix. For example, for someone, pursuing a hobby can be both important and unimportant. You and only you can distribute your affairs as you see your life priorities.

Under what conditions will the Eisenhower matrix be useful to you?

Some skeptics believe that the Eisenhower matrix is ​​suitable only for managers, while an ordinary employee, worker or housewife cannot use it in practice (which is not true - the matrix is ​​universal, we proved this by taking the case of a massage therapist, not a businessman as an example).

In reality, the question is not about the possibility or impossibility of using the matrix, but about the expediency of its application.

The Eisenhower System is used for planning every day. That is, we are not talking about long-term plans (to build a house, go on vacation, graduate from university), but about current tasks.

On the one hand, if a person has so few daily tasks that his memory can easily cope with them, then there is no need to use the table. For example, all the employee's plans for the day are to serve their eight hours at work and drink beer with friends in the evening. This table is not for those people.

On the other hand, if a person has goals in all aspects of his life - in work, study, self-development, family, hobbies, if he strives to be the master of his time, and not to go with its flow - such a person always has many daily tasks. And since he does not want to lose sight of them - this matrix is ​​for him.

The Eisenhower Matrix is ​​no panacea for the eternal lack of time. It's more of a mini prioritization tutorial.

Do not be surprised if you find it difficult to divide cases into quadrants at first. The moment you think and do it, you learn. And learning something of value always involves a certain amount of effort.

Do not despair - after working with the table for several days in a row, you will acquire a skill that will turn into a skill. Subsequently, prioritization will become automatic.

So let's summarize.

The Eisenhower Matrix is ​​designed for people like you if:

• You constantly have to make choices about which task to tackle first;
• You are ready to get to know yourself better, you are ready to honestly answer questions like “what is really important to me?”;
• You want to do as much as possible - definitely more than you are doing right now;
• You are ready to fight such a quality of yours as procrastination - chronic postponement.

You may already be good at managing your time.

Read the statements below and ask yourself if they are true for you. If the overwhelming majority of the points do not suit you, it is advisable for you to master the time management techniques.

• You always have a clear to-do list for the day;
• You respond to business emails in a timely manner;
• You do not take work home and almost never stay late after the end of the working day;
• You do not allow phone calls, visitors' visits and social networks to significantly distract you from your main tasks;
• You don’t do the job for your subordinates because you don’t think that only you can do it really well;
• At the end of the day, you feel almost as alert as at the beginning.

If all the previous points seem logical to you, then the last one can cause an incredulous smile: “You're kidding! A squeezed lemon feels more energized than I do at the end of the day. " Nevertheless, there are a large number of people who not only do not get tired, but also feel a surge of energy. And there is no secret here.

We get tired not of the amount of work done, but of stupid, disordered actions, senseless throwing and feeling of helplessness in conditions of chronic time pressure.

Of course, sometimes we cannot foresee everything. And our harmonious plan can be shaken by a suddenly disconnected office equipment, a late client or a truant employee. Leave that aside for now.

The first thing worth working on is how not to be a source of chaos for yourself, and then you can think about the influence of external unforeseen circumstances.

1. Clean your desktop from documents you no longer work with. If you don't need them very often, put them in the closet. Not needed at all - send to the basket. In a heap of papers, you can hardly find the very sheet, looking for which you will spend long minutes, irritated from fruitless efforts. Please note that the desks of successful businessmen look like no one is working at them: most of their surface is not occupied by anything.
2. Get yourself a diary and don't part with him. It is impossible to remember everything, and business people have long understood the need to write everything down - dates of meetings, cases, questions for reflection. Mobile phones and laptops with their calendars are often used, but a paper diary will never become outdated - if only because it cannot break or run out of power.
3. Plan the most important things during the peak of your daily activity.... We are all human beings, and even the strongest of our species are overcome by sleep. Resisting your biorhythms is a waste of time, you will still fail. What you do in the afternoon in an hour, in the evening with the accumulated fatigue, will take you twice as much time. Therefore, do not postpone an urgent report until late in the evening, do not start important conversations before bed - both you and you will suffer from this approach.
4. Don't overload yourself... It's not just that your productivity will drop. With a merciless rhythm, you will definitely "burn out", and your body, without your consent, will arrange a rest for itself, sending you to a hospital bed. This is where you will lose all of your saved time.

Treat yourself like a thoroughbred horse - this is, of course, a strong animal, but which owner would risk driving it with a furious race?

1. Do not "waste" projects and deeds... Remember the famous phrase about the fact that the best is the enemy of the good? Do you feel like the more you check your project, the better it gets? It is very important here not to "overexpose" the case, otherwise you risk feeling chronic fatigue from the inability to achieve the ideal. Do not strive for the ideal - these actions will take away your time.
2. Don't try to be good at everything.... It takes years to become a specialist in a particular field. It is better to stand out in one thing than to be average in everything. The film "Ocean's 11" tells about it. It is important to have a team where everyone is good at something, then you can easily delegate matters.

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It is easy to get confused in the endless stream of everyday activities, because every day there are more and more of them. Yesterday's unfinished business becomes today, and what we did not manage to do today is automatically shifted to tomorrow. As a result, all sorts of things can accumulate so much that then you will not understand: what has been done, what is in the process, and what is still waiting in the wings.

Such or detailed situations often occur in people who do not pay due attention to the process of planning their activities. Naturally, because skills are not taught at school, and many parents and other people who act as educators in the process of our development, often themselves do not really know how to plan their activities, although this is not at all complicated. It's just that the due attention is somehow not paid to it.

However, today there are many excellent planning techniques that allow you to learn how to rationally use your time resource and get the maximum benefit from this process for yourself. But in this article we will not consider all these techniques, but we will give as an example only one, which is distinguished by its simplicity and effectiveness. This technique is called the "Eisenhower Matrix".

The Eisenhower Matrix is ​​one of the most popular time management tools used by many people around the world, from ordinary hired workers and middle managers to executives of large firms and world-famous corporations. The founder of this matrix is ​​the 34th President of the United States, Dwight David Eisenhower. As you might guess, this man was very busy and had to do many different things related to his activities. For this reason, he has been optimizing his work schedule and to-do list. The result of his research was the matrix we are considering.

The meaning of the Eisenhower matrix is ​​mainly to learn how to correctly distribute all your affairs, to distinguish important from urgent, not urgent from the least important, and also to minimize the time spent on doing any business, the implementation of which does not give any significant results. Let's talk about how it all works in practice.

The essence of the Eisenhower matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix consists of four quadrants, the base of which is two axes - the axis of importance (vertical) and the axis of urgency (horizontal). As a result, it turns out that each quadrant differs in its quality indicators. All tasks and tasks are recorded in each of the quadrants, due to which an extremely clear and objective picture of what should be done first, what should be done secondly, and what should not be done at all is formed. All this is quite simple, but it will not be superfluous to give a few explanations in any case.

Quadrant A: Important and Urgent Things to Do

For ideal planning, this quadrant of the matrix should remain empty because the appearance of important and urgent matters is an indicator of disorganization and admission of blockage. Many people fill this part of the schedule due to their inherent laziness and incorrect prioritization. Naturally, from time to time such cases can appear in every person, but if it happens every day, then it's time to pay attention to.

So, doing things in the A quadrant should be avoided. And for this it is only necessary to complete the items of the remaining quadrants on time. But if something is still worth writing in the first quadrant, then it is:

• Cases, the failure of which negatively affects the achievement of the goals
• Cases, the failure of which can cause difficulties and troubles
• Health related matters

It is also important to remember that there is such a thing as "delegation". This means that whenever there are cases in your A quadrant that can be delegated to someone else, you should definitely take advantage of this opportunity in order to resolve other important and urgent cases as soon as possible.

Quadrant B: Things That Are Important But Not Urgent

The second quadrant deserves the most attention, since the cases that are in it are the most priority and promising ones, and it is from them that the daily tasks of any person should consist. It has been noticed that people who are mainly engaged in the affairs of this quadrant achieve the greatest success in life, get promoted, earn more money, have enough free time and live a happy and fulfilling life.

Pay attention also to the fact that the lack of urgency allows you to approach the solution of any tasks more deliberately and constructively, and this, in turn, allows a person to reveal his potential to the fullest, independently think through all the nuances of his activities and manage the time frame of his affairs. But here, among other things, you need to remember that things that are in the B quadrant, if they are not completed on time, can easily fall into the A quadrant, becoming even more important and requiring prompt completion.

Experienced time management specialists recommend including in the B quadrant all current affairs related to the main activity, work planning and analysis, educational and, adherence to the optimal schedule, etc. Those. everything that our ordinary everyday life consists of.

Quadrant C: Urgent But Not Important Things

Most of the activities in this quadrant are distracting and do not bring a person closer to the intended results. Often, they simply interfere with focusing on the really important tasks and reduce efficiency. The main thing when working with the matrix is ​​not to confuse urgent matters from the C quadrant with urgent matters from the A quadrant. Otherwise, there will be confusion and what should be done first of all remains in the background. Always remember about your own and learn to distinguish between the important and the secondary.

The affairs of the C quadrant include, for example, meetings or negotiations imposed by someone from the side, celebrating the birthdays of not very close people, sudden chores around the house, eliminating distractions that are not vital, but requiring attention (a vase broke, a microwave stove, light bulb burned out, etc.), as well as all sorts of other things that do not move you forward, but only slow you down.

Quadrant D: Non-Urgent and Non-Important Things

The tasks in the last quadrant are of no use at all. In many cases, it is useful not only to tackle them last, but also not to tackle them at all. Although you definitely need to know about them, tk. they are the “time eaters”.

Another feature of this group is interesting: they are very attractive for many people - these tasks are easy to perform and give pleasure, allow you to relax and have a good time. Therefore, resisting the temptation to work out with them can be quite problematic. But it is absolutely necessary to do this.

In the D quadrant, you can record such things as talking on the phone with friends about something insignificant, unnecessary correspondence or spending time on social networks, watching TV series and various "mind-numbing" TV shows, computer games, etc. Of course, every person should periodically have a rest and somehow entertain himself, but for this there are also more interesting and developing ways: reading, visiting gyms and swimming pools, trips to nature, etc. If you cannot completely save yourself from doing things from the D quadrant or do not want to, then you need to postpone their implementation at least until the moment when the tasks from the B and C quadrants are completed, and the time that will be devoted to the affairs of the D quadrant should be reduced to a minimum. The well-known proverb will be appropriate here: “Time for business, hour for fun”.

As soon as you master the Eisenhower matrix and learn how to correctly distribute your affairs within it, you will notice that you have a lot of new free time, you manage to do everything on time and without haste, all your affairs are in order, goals are achieved one after another, and you yourself are almost always in a good mood and cheerful mood. It's all about being organized and collected. Probably, you yourself from time to time notice that disorganized people are always in a circle of some incomprehensible business, they are always busy with something stupid, but "very important", they look tired and annoyed. There are many distinctive features. But this is not important, but that if you and I do not want to have similar results, then we must act differently. Namely: we must be organized, clearly understand what and when we need to do, and why we are doing all this. And the Eisenhower matrix is ​​great for this.

We wish you the best of luck and success in mastering your new skill!

Many of us multitask. We are constantly faced with situations when we have a lot to do. But how do you prioritize them? And how not to get confused in cases and deadlines?

Time planning is not easy. Part of the business goes to tomorrow. And then new ones are superimposed on them. As a result, the number of cases is growing. The skills of managing your own working time are not taught either in school or in higher educational institutions. However, it is never too late to learn. We will talk about one of the most popular methods for distributing tasks. This technique is "Eisenhower Matrix". This method will allow you to plan things, separate priority tasks from less priority ones, and spend much less time clearing blockages.

This method, which is simple and popular in Western countries, is also spreading in our country.

A bit of history

The Matrix was invented by none other than 34 President of the United States of America Dwight David Eisenhower. As a person in an extremely responsible position, he was constantly busy and every day had to perform a huge number of tasks of various kinds. In order not to accumulate constantly arising tasks, the president was constantly looking for a simple and understandable tool for scheduling tasks that could be easily worked with. After much research, Eisenhower finally found a method that has become universal for many.

So what's the point of the matrix?

In the distribution of tasks. Based on simple examples, you will quickly learn to separate the main tasks from the less important ones and, finally, make room for personal tasks in the daily schedule.

The Eisenhower matrix is ​​based on 4 quadrants. They are crossed by 2 axes:

• axis of importance
• urgency axis

In 4 squares, the matrix offers to write all the things that worry you in one way or another.

So the first quadrant. We write in it the most important and urgent matters. The creator of this technique has always emphasized that if you correctly plan all your tasks, then this quadrant should be empty. But we are just starting to work on the matrix. If you write down tasks here, then you should pay attention to those that:

• it is impossible not to fulfill, because it will negatively affect the fulfillment of the set goals
• it is impossible not to fulfill, because this will entail negative consequences
• it is impossible not to fulfill, because the fulfillment of these matters is related to health

Filling out this list, it's time to remember about delegation. If you can share an important and urgent problem with someone else: do it, do not hesitate to ask for help.

Second quadrant. It is proposed to enter into it matters that are important, but the implementation of which does not require urgency. These are promising and truly important tasks, on the completion of which success depends. Despite the fact that urgency in completing these tasks comes second, remember that this does not mean that you can forget about them before the deadline. With enough time to complete, we approach problem solving more deliberately. What can be included here?

The following tasks:

• sports related
• related to task scheduling and performance evaluation
• which are related to work

The third quadrant. It includes urgent but unimportant matters. For the most part, you have to put problems on this list that distract you on the way to achieving your goals. For example, in this list it is worth adding meetings and negotiations that are not necessary for you, but imposed by the authorities, which will not in any way affect the achievement of your goals. Here you can also write down sudden home problems associated with the breakdown of household appliances, etc.

Fourth quadrant. In it, Eisenhower proposes to write down unimportant and non-urgent matters. These are tasks that will not be of any use whatsoever. They are proposed to be dealt with only as a last resort, or not at all. Such tasks can be compared to elementary time eaters. So why not rule out these cases altogether? These things seem pleasant to many. And time flies by.

What is Eisenhower Dwight David Matrix? How did the 34th President of the United States plan the time? What kind of organization principle allowed you to handle a huge number of cases? I'll tell you about all this now.

Time management is based on the principle of planning. And the main thing in planning is to prioritize which things should start first and which ones should be done later.

A very simple and incredibly effective technique was used by the 34th President of the United States, later it was named after his name - the Eisenhower Dwight David principle. Everyone understands that the president has a lot to do and the fate of millions of people depends on the correct time planning of one person.

What did President Eisenhower do?

That's how - he divided all tasks into important and urgent. To better understand the method, let's draw the Eisenhower Dwight David matrix by dividing the square into 4 equal parts. As a result, we get 4 squares. Now let's sign each of them with the following names: Important, no matter, urgent, not urgent.

The essence of the Eisenhower Principle is that all important and urgent things must be done first when prioritizing. Then important and non-urgent. Further, unimportant urgent ones. And if there is time, then finally unimportant and non-urgent.

What for?

What does the application of the Eisenhower principle give? Why draw a matrix? Why can't you do everything without any troubles?

Probably, everyone was faced with a lack of time - when you want to catch up with everything planned, but it does not work out, every day presents us with surprises and you have to adjust your plans, refusing the planned rest, new work opportunities, etc.

It is impossible to predict the unplanned, which means, whether we like it or not, some plans have to be canceled. But ... But what if we do the main tasks first, and leave the less significant ones for later. Which is not so a pity to refuse? For example, let's spend time with our family instead of meeting with a client who is unlikely to agree to cooperate.

This is the answer to the question: "why sort the cases." We just do the main thing, and postpone the secondary and become more successful and productive in life. After all, urgent does not mean important and vice versa.

1 square: Important and urgent

These include urgent matters, the failure of which can lead to negative consequences... We start all business from this section, since these are the most significant tasks for us, and besides, urgent ones. This section includes: "Urgent operation", "Unscheduled meetings", "Deadline for the delivery of the project."

The main thing is that this square, ideally, should be empty, since most important tasks are not urgent at the beginning and, with proper planning, they can be done before they become urgent. All tasks in this square appear for 2 reasons:

- depending on us (internal reasons), what we can influence and this is the largest share in most cases. For example: lack of professionalism, motivation, strength, etc. In general, we can remove this reason on our own;

- beyond our control (external reasons): When we cannot influence them, for example, force majeure, sudden pain, urgent request for help, etc. Ideally, with proper planning, only these reasons should be squared important and urgent.

In addition, we all understand that it is not always possible to allocate as much time as necessary for urgent matters. An example from life is passing exams, if you prepare on the last day, then the time for preparation may simply not be enough physically. In addition, working in an emergency mode is exhausting, worsens mental and physical condition. Therefore, all important tasks should be completed before they become urgent, that is, working with a square is important and not urgent.

2 square: Important and not urgent

Performing all tasks from this square on a regular basis is an indicator of your success and productivity. This square includes cases that can wait, but failure to complete them will have serious negative consequences.

An important task differs from an unimportant one in that the consequences if they are not met are different... The more important the task, the stronger the negative consequences of its failure. Therefore, we give preference to performing important tasks first and only then urgent ones.

Ideally, all important tasks, both urgent and non-urgent, should be completed in full. Among the cases in this area, it can be noted such as: tasks for personal development, health care, for example: consult a doctor in a timely manner and prevent illness, master basic English skills for promotion at work, etc., as a rule, these are the key tasks that can make a big difference in your life.

We all understand that in most cases it is impossible to be in time for everything planned. If only because unforeseen circumstances arise that make serious adjustments to the plans. Given this fact, it is better to do important tasks on which your life depends heavily than unimportant things. That is why it is so important to sort tasks according to the Eisenhower rule.

When we correctly distribute cases and start work with the most important, then there are fewer rush jobs, that is, we have time to get things done before they become urgent. And this is very important after all, when there is not always enough time for urgent matters - they turn out to be unfinished and we arrange a test of our nerves, trying to be on time. At the same time, with regular work with a square, it is important and not urgent, you can devote as much time as it requires to each task, as a result, the number of rush jobs and stressful situations will decrease, and the quality of work will increase. By analogy from ordinary life, it is better to timely prevent the disease than to start and at the end to experience severe pain and serious consequences in the future.

3 square: Doesn't matter, urgent

Urgent doesn’t mean it’s important, many urgent things are better not to be done if because of them you will not be able to do something important. To correctly understand which business is more important, just ask the question: "What will happen if this is not done." If the negative consequences are minimal, then the matter is unimportant and it should be started after completing more significant tasks, if not, which will have more serious negative consequences. Unimportant tasks include the following: a colleague called and asked for help in an unimportant task, you are offered participation in social services. poll or just an acquaintance came to chat about life.

Less urgent matters is that they interfere with effective work, because you:

Forced to interrupt with important tasks;

Against the background of urgency, you start to worry, and emotions interfere with making the right decisions.

For example, you are working with a large project on which your career growth and company income depend, and at this moment your colleagues call you and ask you to urgently call, print, send a document by mail, etc. Of course, you need to help colleagues, but everything has its time. First you need to do the important things, and the secondary ones later, even if they are urgent. Just tell your colleagues that you are busy right now, and when you finish work on an important matter, call back.

If you try to keep up with all urgent matters, then life can turn into a constant time pressure, and because of the hustle and bustle, you will worry more and less time will be able to devote to important tasks that greatly affect your life.

4 square is not important and not urgent

This is the very last to-do list to get started, because it includes the most unnecessary tasks.

But even the most unnecessary cases can also be divided into 2 parts:

1. Life trifle, such cases still have value, but only if you have done all the other more important tasks from 3 squares. And what is the value? For example, disassembling a blockage in the mezzanine is like a trifle, but nice, or changing a leaking faucet in the kitchen, strengthening the table so that it does not stagger. In general, such tasks create your comfort, raise your mood, so you need to try to get to 4 squares in order to live more harmoniously and fully.

But if you do these little things before the more important tasks from the last 3 squares are done, then it will not bring the proper satisfaction.

2. Bullshit classes... Computer games, social networks, watching TV, alcohol - all this only takes up precious time. Many will say, but does it help you to relax? Yes, no doubt, any kind of bullshit is relaxing, but not as good as a healthy rest. A computer, TV cannot convey such strong emotions, tactile feelings, smells and other sensations as in real life. Since the computer and TV use less sense organs, the rate of recovery, i.e. rest, is reduced. Alcohol is also an ineffective way to relax, because in addition to the negative effect on health, after such a rest, in quotes, there is a breakdown, headache and other troubles.

In general, all bad habits are a waste of time and should be abandoned completely, but this is an ideal case. In reality, every person has bad habits, since the fight against them takes time, so we put all such garbage as computer games, TV, alcohol, etc. into the square, no matter and not urgently, at the very bottom of the to-do list.

The Practice of Applying the Eisenhower Dwight David Matrix

Let's draw 4 Eisenhower squares, denote each square with letters:

A. Important and urgent (red);

B. Important and not urgent (green);

V. Unimportant and urgent (blue);

G. Not important and not urgent (white).

We start doing all things alphabetically, that is, first the tasks of point "A", then "B", "C" and at the end "D". Until we complete the affairs of square "A", do not proceed to "B". Then, until we do point "B", we do not start tasks from "C", etc. In general, we work sequentially step by step, without changing the order.

Now for practice, let's say we have the following to-do list:

Now we will sort the list of incoming tasks, put next to each item, the letter of the square to which this task can be attributed.

Now you know where to start in order to have time to do the main thing. Just first you do things from square "A", then "B", then "C" and "D", if there is time.

It is important to assess the degree of importance not in the mind, but on a piece of paper, since when there are more than 7 + -2 cases, the prioritization may be wrong, since our brain is not designed for such operations in the mind. It is about 7 + -2 cases that we can store in memory, the rest is forgotten. Tasks written on a piece of paper are much easier and faster, and most importantly, you can sort it more accurately, do not regret time on notes.

You can also rewrite the list into squares for clarity, especially as soon as you start using the Eisenhower method, but this is not necessary.

As you already understand, - the essence of working with the Eisenhower principle: separation of tasks and concentration on the first two squares.

Working according to the Eisenhower Principle will help reduce the amount of rush at work and you will be more successful.

P.S. If you have any difficulties or questions about the article you have read, as well as on the topics: Psychology (bad habits, experiences, etc.), sales, business, time management, etc. ask me, I will try to help. Consultation via skype is also possible.

P.P.S. You can also take an online training "How to get 1 hour of extra time". Write comments, your additions;)

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There were a lot of plans for the weekend, but in the end you spent time watching the series and did nothing? Or maybe you are overwhelmed with tasks at work, and the avalanche of urgent matters is increasing every day? You've probably heard that making a to-do list can get things going. But sometimes this does not help much and the tasks entered in the to-do-list remain unfulfilled. Why? Because the list is wrong and / or you are following things in the wrong order. To solve these problems will help Eisenhower matrix, she - priority matrix... It is about her that we propose to talk about.

The Eisenhower Priority Matrix - What Is It?

This prioritization and time management tool is named after its inventor, one of the American presidents - Dwight David Eisenhower... The basic idea behind the priority matrix is ​​that tasks are sorted into four groups depending on two criteria - the urgency and importance of their implementation. Wherein not all urgent matters are important and not all important matters are urgent... In order to successfully cope with tasks, you need to understand which group to assign a particular case to, and this will tell you when to take on it.

This method - when used correctly - will allow you to complete all tasks on time and avoid things clinging to each other, creating an avalanche of unresolved problems.

How to create a to-do list based on the priority matrix?

To repeat: in order to outline an action plan in accordance with the Eisenhower matrix, all tasks from the list must be divided into 4 main categories:

• Category A: important and urgent;
• Category B: important but not urgent;
• Category C: urgent but unimportant;
• Category D: not urgent and unimportant.

It is most convenient to draw a sheet of paper into four large squares and mark each of them with the corresponding color and letter, and then write down the tasks. Let's analyze all the categories in more detail, with examples.

1. Category A

Important and urgent matters- situations when deadline is on or have come force majeure... Today is the last day to pay the mortgage this month, the report for the boss had to be sent yesterday, and in the evening you go to the doctor because of acute pain in the tooth - this is all category A. If you correctly distribute your affairs, then this item will be contain the least number of tasks, and it is even better if it is completely empty.

2. Category B

Important but not urgent matters- they must be the main part of the to-do list... These are the things that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow can move into category A, if they are not done today. They are important, but there is a small slack and can be postponed for a while. These include daily work tasks, replacement of the bathroom faucet, which is still working, but has already begun to drip, purchase tickets for the concert in advance. Also in the same category are affairs related to your global life goals... For example, if you want to start your own business or find a new job and for this you need to master a new skill, learn another foreign language, take an additional order to build capital, etc.

3. Category C

Urgent but unimportant matters... This is what follows finish today because the next day will be too late or inappropriate... Group C plans can be aimed at creating comfortable living conditions and establish social ties.

This can include the timely congratulations of friends and colleagues on the holidays or a trip to the country house to help parents collect crumbling berries. Another example is buying a new TV at a big discount. If it were not for the promotion, you would have purchased it much later, and if you are thinking about it in a short time, you will get what you want more quickly and cheaper. In other words, performing actions from category C is not critical, but it is still better and more comfortable to do them on time.

4. Category D

Non-urgent and unimportant matters... The most insidious category, which mainly includes "Chronophages" or "time killers"(literally "time eaters", "time killers"). This item includes watching movies, making phone calls with friends, reading books, flipping through the news feed. To resist the urge to perform these actions instead of tasks from the first three categories, you need to have well-developed willpower, be able to control yourself and focus on what you need, and not on what you want.

After you have arranged your tasks in four columns, start from the first step. Learning to follow the priority matrix will not only help you get things done on time, but you will also save time for fun - for non-urgent and unimportant tasks.

1. At first it may be it is difficult to properly distribute cases... To make the process easier, ask yourself the questions: “Is this task important? Is it in my life priorities? Will failure to do it cause trouble? " If so, then the matter is important. To understand if the matter is urgent, think about whether it will lose relevance in the near future? If so, then the task is urgent.

2. Try to leave the Category A list blank - remember that all unfulfilled plans from group B migrate here... In addition, various force majeure events that you could not have foreseen in advance fall into the same group. Let us repeat that, ideally, with the right allocation of time, there should be no urgent and important tasks. The exception will be the same force majeure, as well as:

• health plans;
• actions on which the fulfillment of important goals depends (if you want to go abroad in the summer, it is better to issue a passport in advance);
• cases, the failure of which in the future threatens to turn into trouble (an unpaid fine, paid on time, may prevent you from going abroad).

3.
Category B - for the most promising tasks... Statistics show that those who pay special attention to goals in this category are more successful, climb the career ladder more confidently and, accordingly, earn more. This is due, among other things, to the fact that due to the timely execution of affairs (at a calm pace, without haste), concentration and the ability to prioritize, a person can fully demonstrate their talents and think about this or that step.

4. Some tasks from category C it would be more correct to classify as distracting as they can hinder your efficiency and eat up a lot of your time, although they are not important. This includes congratulations to distant relatives, buying a new sofa, and other non-essentials. It is important to be able to distinguish them from Category B cases and, if possible, delegate their execution to other people.

5. Problems D, or time eaters, you can safely call unproductive... However, you can add value to your leisure time. For example, read a good intellectual book instead of a tabloid novel, go in for sports when you want emotional relaxation. If you can't resist the temptation to waste time on something useless, keep that waste to a minimum by completing tasks from other categories first.

When you master the principle of the Eisenhower matrix, you will become not only successful, but also a more balanced and optimistic person, as you will stop worrying about annoying but important little things that you didn’t have enough time for before.