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Have you ever felt overwhelmed making a decision because of competing priorities?
Whether you have personal or professional responsibilities, the Eisenhower Matrix is a simple method to help you prioritize your tasks based on urgency and importance.
Using this method to categorize your responsibilities into the following 4 quadrants, you'll be able to make effective decisions easily.
Do
Schedule
Delegate
Eliminate
Do
Important and urgent
Tasks in this quadrant are urgent priority. Think of tasks with deadlines and consequences if they aren't actioned right away.
A project for a work client
A research paper for school
Picking up your child from daycare
Complete tasks in your Do quadrant first as they have a great impact on yourself and others.
Quiz
Which task should you do first?
Getting a COVID test after having symptoms is the most urgent task to prioritize as this can have a serious impact on the health of yourself and others. The other tasks are not as urgent or important.
Schedule
Important but not urgent
Tasks in this quadrant are high priority. Think of tasks without a set deadline but are important to your personal or professional life.
Book your annual dental cleaning
Take an online course to further your career skills
Go for a run to train for the next 10K
These are tasks that work towards the goals that you plan and schedule. If an urgent priority comes up, these are tasks you can reschedule or postpone.
Quiz
What task should you schedule?
Scheduling a consultation with a career counsellor is important for your growth but doesn't have an urgent deadline.
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Delegate
Urgent but not important
Tasks in this quadrant are medium priority. Think of tasks that have to be completed but don't require specific skills and can be delegated or outsourced.
Responding to emails
Picking up a gift for a co-worker's retirement
Meal prep
These are tasks that have to get done but not necessarily by you.
Quiz
Select all tasks you can delegate or outsource.
These tasks might all be urgent, but they don't require a specific skill set and can be completed by someone else.
Eliminate
Not important and not urgent
Tasks in this quadrant are low priority. Think of tasks that have no consequences and are potential distractions that make you procrastinate.
Binge-watching your favorite Netflix show
Organizing your already clean closet
Sorting your junk mail
It can be tough, but eliminating low priority tasks so you can focus on your first 3 quadrants will make you feel relieved and accomplished once they're done. Then low priority tasks can be a reward rather than a distraction.
Quiz
Which task should you eliminate?
Playing your new video game isn't important or urgent. When you've attended to your other responsibilities, enjoying the game will be a great reward.
Take Action
Now that you've learned the 4 quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix, it's time to categorize your tasks and make some effective decisions.
This Byte has been authored by
Sierra Biase
lululemon Key Leader