Important and unimportant matters. Example of case distribution using the Eisenhower matrix

Most of us are short on time, and any tips on how to use it effectively are always of interest.

This issue was also of serious interest to the thirty-fourth US President Dwight Eisenhower, who used a special priority matrix to manage his time. This system is still popular and similar versions can be found in most time management guides.

Cases with this approach are assessed by importance and urgency, so Eisenhower matrix consists of four quadrants:

1. Important and urgent matters
2. Important but not urgent matters
3. Unimportant but urgent matters
4. Unimportant and non-urgent matters

Important and urgent matters

The main criterion for the importance of things is that in case of their failure:

• You may be at risk for health problems. For example, if you have a severe toothache, then it is obvious that you urgently need to see a dentist, and if you ignore this need, big troubles can occur.
• You may face money problems. For example, if you fail to deliver an important project, you will be deprived of a bonus or fired.
• Your relationships with family, loved ones, friends, etc. will deteriorate.
• Other serious consequences may occur in the near future.

Ideally, this quadrant should be empty. But in practice, for one reason or another, some important matters no, no, become urgent.

Important but not urgent matters

These are exactly the things you should focus on. The fact is that by doing them at a measured pace, and not hastily, you can complete them with the highest quality. It is by focusing on this quadrant that people come out ahead and have a greater chance of success than those who work in turbo mode. But it should be remembered that failure to complete these tasks quickly transfers them to the category of important and urgent. The importance of these matters is determined by the same indicators as the importance of urgent ones, which were described above. Important but non-urgent matters may include, for example:

• Development of plans
• Working on your health and physical condition
• Identifying different life prospects, etc.

Unimportant but urgent matters

These are those things that don’t really bring you closer to your main goals, don’t give you anything useful for your soul, body or wallet, but at the same time they can masquerade as important and necessary. Often they only distract you from what you really need, wasting your time.

For example, it could be a call from your friend with a conversation about things that do not interest you, which drags on for a long time and involves you. Or an unexpected order from your boss that is not related to your direct tasks.

To monitor the importance of a task, ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that will happen if I don’t do this?”

Unimportant and non-urgent matters

These are things that have nothing to do with your key interests at all, and are chronophages, that is, time eaters. These include useless correspondence on forums and social media. networks, as well as empty telephone conversations. They also include various excessive recreational activities.

How to use these techniques at work? You can place your daily or weekly tasks in a matrix and then organize your activities in accordance with your priorities, starting, of course, with important and urgent tasks.

The Eisenhower Priority Matrix allows you to achieve increased productivity at work and achieve your goals faster.

34 US President Dwight David Eisenhower was a very busy man. To get more done in a day, he created his own effective time management tool, which today is called the Eisenhower Matrix or Priority Matrix. What is the essence of the method?

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

The idea of ​​the Eisenhower Matrix is ​​to learn how to quickly distinguish important matters from unimportant ones and those that do not require attention at all. Eisenhower proposed dividing all current and planned matters into 4 categories based on the principle of urgency and importance. For clarity, he drew a square and divided it into 4 fields. Each field contained a to-do list:

• Field 1: Important and urgent matters;
• Field 2: Important, but not very urgent matters;
• 3 field: Not important, but urgent matters;
• Field 4: Not important or urgent matters.

How to work with the Eisenhower square?

Let's look at the Eisenhower square in more detail:

1. Important and urgent matters. What would you put in this category? How many urgent and important things could be written in this square? The trick is that Eisenhower planning can only be called effective when the very first square is always clean, without a single entry. If you have a list of tasks that you can assign to this field of the matrix, it means that something is interfering with your productive work: laziness, lack of self-discipline, inability to correctly set priorities, etc. All this leads to rush jobs, which has a bad effect on the mental and physical state of a person.
2. Important, but not very urgent matters. Eisenhower, when creating his time management system, was sure that this category was the most important. Putting a task here in a timely manner and taking on its implementation means the opportunity to devote as much time as necessary to solving the problem. For example, a timely visit to a doctor will prevent illness, and writing a student’s thesis a little ahead of schedule will leave the opportunity to correct mistakes.
3. Not very important, but urgent matters. This field of the Esenhower matrix is ​​intended to place here things that interfere with effective work and therefore require immediate elimination. For example, fixing a broken computer, helping your mother-in-law transport furniture to the country house, etc.
4. Not urgent or important matters. In the priority matrix there is also a place for things that we do every day in order to take our minds off work. These are long conversations on the phone, watching TV series, friend feeds, writing letters, etc. That is, all those things that are pleasant, but not necessary. Eisenhower, speaking about priorities, called such activities “time wasters” that negatively affect work productivity.

Don't have time? Lots of things to do, but absolutely not enough time? At such moments, many remember that, in theory, it helps to save and rationally use the most valuable and irreplaceable resource making to-do lists. They help us both complete work tasks on time and successfully deal with household chores. However, in order for such a list to really work in your favor, you need to not only compile it, but compile it correctly, because otherwise you are unlikely to follow it, and it will simply lie in front of you as a silent reproach. Let's take a closer look at how to make a to-do list m what is the Eisenhower priority matrix.

What kind of list do you need?

To create the most appropriate to-do list, first decide whether the need to do something motivates or discourages you personally (the key word here is “necessity”). Think and answer your question honestly, How much does the word “must” really spur you on? There are no bad or good options here, but depending on your answer, you can decide between two main types of to-do sheets (or, as some call them, to-do sheets).

Many coaches and time management experts divide people into two groups: rationals– those who consistently and meaningfully move towards a clearly defined goal or solve necessary problems, those for whom the word “must” means exactly “must”; And irrationals– creative people who easily get excited about a new idea and also easily give up what they started when they lose interest in it; flexible, passionate, not afraid to experiment. Most of us cannot be classified as pure rationals or irrationals, but still one type is, as a rule, closer to us than the other. Depending on this, the type of to-do list is determined.

Rational's to-do list - Eisenhower's priority matrix

It is important for a rationalist that everything was laid out on shelves, structured. They often make different lists for different occasions: for work, for family, etc. As a rule, rationalists will find a way to compile a to-do list based on D. D. Eisenhower's priority matrix, 34th President of the United States. Its main principle can be expressed as follows: not all urgent things are important, not all important things are urgent.

Thus, to arrange things according to the Eisenhower matrix, you need divide all cases into four groups:

• important urgent;
• important non-urgent;
• urgent unimportant;
• non-urgent unimportant.

1. The first point of the Eisenhower matrix usually includes the so-called Force Majeure, therefore, with proper organization of work there should be very few such cases,
and ideally they should appear there only in case of extraordinary circumstances.

2. Important non-urgent tasks are the most important on the list, they need to be given special attention.

3-4. Many of the things on your list that fall into the last two groups are work routine, which you are unlikely to be able to give up, and some of which you simply won’t want to do, because the item “non-urgent, unimportant” often includes, for example, visiting social networks, watching movies, reading the news, etc.

It is intended to work on such a to-do-list in exactly the above order - this will free up the “important urgent” column, leave enough time for “important non-urgent” ones and achieve maximum efficiency. It is also important not to be distracted by the so-called time killers, or chronophages, from the “non-urgent, unimportant” part of the Eisenhower matrix. First of all, chronophages include various social networks, forums, and games.

How to make a to-do list for an irrational person

The above method of compiling a to-do list is contraindicated for irrationals. The Eisenhower Matrix will most likely cause nothing but boredom and a desire to abandon the most important matters even further. And yet, even for an irrational person, a to-do list will not hurt, but one that takes into account character traits.
The simplest option in this case is to simply write down everything you need to do and work on those tasks for which, in your opinion, you will be most effective at the moment. Practice shows that sometimes people with this type of character work most effectively when they do what they want and as much as they want, since a structured day and a strict sequence of actions often have a depressing effect on irrational people.

Of course, this is an ideal situation that not everyone can afford. In addition, even irrational people are often magically affected by the concept of a deadline, so we recommend that this type of people (and not only them) take note of Parkinson’s law and the practical conclusion from this law. Also, do not discard methods of combating procrastination. In particular, outline a few of the most urgent and important things and think about which one you want to do more than the others. Put it aside for now and move on to the second most “rejection” issue.

Representatives of this personality type it is important to engage in any activity (and, if possible, not to break away from it) while they are as effective as possible. When efficiency begins to decline (that is, when boredom sets in, the current task begins to get boring), it makes sense to again go through the compiled to-do list and select a new task - the one that this time will find the greatest emotional response. At the same time, it is important even for irrational people be able to resist time killers. As a rule, they are the ones that look the most attractive, but do not help reduce the number of things on the list at all. Some interesting and even paradoxical advice includes: if you don’t feel like doing anything at all, do something routine, something that you are unlikely to ever feel compelled to do, but will have to do anyway. This could be cleaning the room, doing laundry, etc.

And from our next article you will learn some useful

To achieve success in any business, you need, firstly, to outline a clear plan of action for yourself, and secondly, to strictly follow it. However, it often happens that, having made a list of things to do, a person begins to put them off endlessly, being distracted by something unimportant or simply being lazy to get down to work. People often make the mistake of choosing the wrong priorities and order of tasks.

As a result of incorrect and ineffective planning, things accumulate, and their urgent execution subsequently takes up a huge amount of time and effort. Thus, several days can easily be erased from life and filled only with tedious emergency activities. Stress and bad mood are what a person gets as a result of endless delays, of which he himself becomes the culprit. And then he begins to fear this routine even more and falls into a vicious circle.

The Eisenhower matrix, or, as it is often called, the Eisenhower priority matrix, can come to the rescue in such a situation. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to organize working time, which is based on only two parameters - importance and urgency.

This method of distributing cases is named after the 34th President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower. He was undoubtedly a very busy man, and that is why he developed a unique method of allocating time and ordering of tasks.

What is the Eisenhower Matrix

The main idea is to quickly and efficiently categorize things according to importance and urgency. By assessing them according to these two parameters, you can identify priority ones and weed out completely unimportant ones.

The Eisenhower case matrix was divided into 4 groups:

• Urgent and important.
• Not urgent, but important.
• Not important, but urgent.
• Not important and not urgent.

According to the American president, all tasks without exception can be divided into these four categories; it is only important to be able to critically assess their significance for the future of a person.

Now let's look at each category in more detail.

Important and urgent matters

Eisenhower called them “matters of life and death.” Things that absolutely need to be done within 24 hours that can significantly affect your future life and career.

Examples: resolving crises or unexpected problems, urgent tasks, projects with close deadlines.

If there are a lot of things in this section, it means that you do not manage your time well enough and distribute your energy incorrectly. Ideally, this square should be empty.

If many important matters simultaneously require urgent consideration, it means that you live from emergency to emergency, and you simply need the Eisenhower matrix as a clear example of the correct distribution of effort and time. The habit of putting off work until the last minute indicates a low level of self-discipline and can subsequently lead to big problems in your career. In addition, being in constant stress from what has already happened or just an impending emergency has a detrimental effect on your health.

Important but not urgent

This is your potential. Cases that have a great impact on the future, but do not require an emergency decision. Eisenhower was confident that this category should be the most important of the four. Assigning a specific task to this item and systematically completing it will provide enough time for thoughtful and high-quality execution.

The ability to identify from a to-do list those that should be in that category is one of the most important tasks that the Eisenhower Matrix performs. An example of such cases is evaluating the results obtained, developing new projects, determining development prospects, and building relationships.

Very often people put off exactly such things, but this cannot be done, since they are the key to success in life. In order to avoid temptation, it is very useful to set deadlines for their implementation.

Not important, but urgent matters

Things that take a lot of time, but, in fact, have no significance for further development. In this category, the president placed tasks that distract attention and interfere with effective performance.

Examples include non-essential work-related phone calls, daily meetings, review of urgent materials, and business meetings.

Most people spend the lion's share of their time on such things. They need to be resolved immediately. This will free up enough time for more serious tasks.

Not urgent or important matters

They have no importance for the future. These are things that distract you from your main job. They are usually very pleasant, but completely useless. Eisenhower himself called them “time wasters” and considered them destructive to efficient work processes.

Examples: personal phone calls and letters, social networks, computer games, endless snacks and tea breaks.

You can safely cross these things off the list, and do them only when you really have free time.

How to work with the matrix

Here are a few simple rules that will help you evaluate from your own experience how effective the Eisenhower matrix is. The principle of operation of the method is extremely simple.

For clarity, take a sheet of paper and write a list of all the things that you have to do in a certain period of time - a day, a week or a month. Carefully evaluate them in terms of importance and urgency.

Divide another sheet of paper into four parts: the first square will contain important and urgent matters, the second - important but not urgent, and so on. Write down all the tasks on this sheet, dividing them into squares. What you see before you is Eisenhower's own matrix.

It’s easy to understand that your time needs to be distributed mainly between important matters, that is, between the first two squares. Those tasks that fall into the third and fourth squares can be completed after completing more important ones.

When solving a problem, it is very important not to be distracted from the task by snacks, smoke breaks and checking email. Finish the task, and then you can reward yourself with something nice.

The Eisenhower Matrix is ​​also suitable for long-term planning. To do this, it is also important to outline the main task and write down in squares all the things that will contribute to its achievement.

Despite the fact that the method is more than half a century old, it has not lost its effectiveness. The Eisenhower Matrix has been successfully used by many successful people. It is one of the fundamental techniques of modern time management. Simple, like everything ingenious, the method allows you to take a fresh look at your own activities in order to understand where your precious working time goes.

In time management, things are divided into 4 types according to priority. Don’t rush to say “I know”; of course, everyone knows this. However, I continue to write about my different approach to what everyone knows.

1. Important and urgent (necessary matters).
2. Important, but not urgent (balanced).
3. Urgent but unimportant (illusory).
4. Unimportant and not urgent (waste).

Anyone familiar with time management knows that you need to do the things that are important first. Urgency comes second. Importance and urgency for everyone are completely different things in essence and degree. That’s why simply reading or listening about the dry rules of time management, without delving into the topic, will not give you the result of effective behavior either in yourself or in others. That's why I started talking about this topic with the internal values ​​that drive and guide us and determine what is important to us and what is urgent for us.

The manager may believe that his order is important and urgent, but the executor believes that nothing will happen if it waits. It is more important for the performer to talk on the phone or go online to do his business at the moment. Without the same idea and understanding of value, it is impossible to achieve the desired result. The value, and therefore the importance, must be recognized by both.

1. Things are important and urgent.

If you do only the necessary things, you can achieve your goals quickly and efficiently, but disappointment, grief, resentment and disgust will appear. Emotionality disappears. You start to lose contact with people.

Once upon a time, at the dawn of my business, when I had to think and act a lot, and sometimes not even sleep, I began to lose my emotionality. The rationalism of the left began to put pressure on the right hemisphere of the brain. All that mattered was the quick result. I noticed this and realized that many things that touched the souls of others stopped touching me: I lost interest in theater, cinema, and fiction. Emotionality disappeared (not to be confused with indifference and callousness). Only important business matters. I immediately began to correct this damage. This is what art does, which is what it exists for. If there are no emotions, then it is not art. It became important to me.

Now I don’t read fiction, I just don’t have the time or desire - I’m out of the habit, but you can’t force it. I read only specialized literature, but I greedily consume art. I realized that I needed emotions of a certain direction, masculine, without snot. In an hour I’m waiting on TV for the old amazing film “Volunteers” - everyone knows this film by heart, but this will not stop me from getting strong male emotions, even to the point of tears. I set the importance of this for myself now, when choosing priorities for what to do at a given moment in time, and there was a choice. I thought that this was important for me, and therefore necessary. Another person now cares about something else, and if he is forced to watch this film, stimulating him, for example, with a $1000 bonus, then he will do it, but how?

The degree of importance of the same thing may be different for everyone. In the previous article No. 2, I started the conversation with internal values ​​that you must define in yourself and designate their place in your soul. And a lot will either become important or, on the contrary, unimportant. The leader must determine in his subordinates their internal values ​​- guidelines, motivators, rules of behavior. The fight, for example, with delays is a vivid example. Only if the employee understands the importance for him, and therefore the need to be at the workplace on time, he will not be late. This is what needs to be done. The easiest and most effective way is to load him up with work to the fullest, and not to stupidly put constant moral pressure on him. If he is not busy, he does not realize why it is important to be at work on time. It doesn't matter to him. Depreciation, in my experience, is not an effective method.

Let me repeat this postulate, which is important for effective behavior: we are driven and controlled by internal values, prioritized. They are the basis of motivation, and you need to work with them: identify, educate, reshape, change, strengthen.

2. Things are important, but not urgent.

Why are they in second position? If importance is more important than urgency, then thinking that a non-urgent matter can wait, you will drive yourself into time trouble and it will move into the first category, where fire measures may be needed. You can’t throw away an important matter either immediately or later. Whatever one may say, it will have to be done. This is what makes it different from other cases. Therefore, it is better not to put it off until later, but to do it after the first category of tasks.

3. Things are urgent, but not important.

Why are urgent matters given priority after non-urgent matters? Urgency may be artificial, may be dubious, or even unnecessary. An unimportant matter may no longer be relevant. It often happens that if you wait, the matter will be forgotten. This means that it was unimportant, so why rush to implement it? Many experienced accountants or financial directors, considering a payment order not important enough, put it at the bottom of a pile of other orders or in a desk drawer, realizing their lack of importance, and after some time everyone forgets about it. Money will not be spent on unimportant things. This comes with experience. If the manager reminds and gives a signal that this is important, then there will be a different approach to this assignment.

The manager, having removed arrogance, should always take the time to explain to the performers why his assignment is important, then the performer will raise this assignment in the ranking in his hierarchy of values.

4. Things are unimportant and not urgent.

This is simply a waste of your precious time. I don’t even include rest, sleep or entertainment here, which are certainly important to a certain extent.

Over so many years, I have shaped myself in such a way that even the choice to go to bed late after midnight or do some other business I put on the scales. And often it’s not sleep that outweighs sleep; I go to bed in the morning, because it goes into the “need” category, i.e. "important".

SUMMARY.

From the previous “lessons” you should have understood that your internal values ​​are your constitution in the image and likeness of the American Constitution, which also lists the basic values ​​(our constitution is literature, where values ​​must be looked for in a bunch of words). Points 1 and 2 of the top list, what is “important” are your values. To properly manage your time and redistribute tasks, I repeat, spend time identifying and defining your values ​​in your head. Without this, no time management will work. Organizers and computers are secondary for effective work.

The difference between 1 and 2 is this: if the vast majority of your affairs are in point 2, then everything is stable, smooth, and generally everything is in order. If in point 1, then you will be on the verge of stress and life will become unbearable. The most important point 2.

But you cannot give up pleasures and even idleness. You, like everyone else, have and will have this. Therefore, point 4 cannot be destroyed. For a business person, points 3 and 4 are time reserves. This is where it is easiest to find an extra hour, which is always in short supply.

In the future we will look for an extra hour somewhere else.