

They’re tasks you feel obligated to address. Urgent tasks are time-sensitive and demand your attention. The core principle behind the Eisenhower Matrix is the distinction between important and urgent tasks. The difference between urgent and important tasks

Are busy, but feel like your work has little impact.Run around putting out fires all day, rather than focusing on tasks you want to complete.The Eisenhower Matrix uses this same principle to sort out the less urgent and important tasks on your list, which you can then delegate or not do at all. President Eisenhower is said to have arranged his obligations so that only the important and urgent matters came across his desk. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, known for his high output and organization. It splits tasks into four boxes that prioritize which tasks you should focus on first and which you should delegate or delete.Īlso known as the Urgent-Important Matrix, it was popularized by Stephen Covey in his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple decision-making tool that helps you make the distinction between tasks that are important, not important, urgent, and not urgent.

The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” “I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The Eisenhower Matrix helps you make that distinction and improve your time management. By distinguishing between urgent and important tasks, you can focus more time and energy on the things that matter most. It’s easy to get stuck in this reactionary cycle where you constantly put out fires, robbing yourself of the opportunity to work toward your goals. When you focus too much time on urgent tasks, you neglect the important ones on your to-do list. Humans prioritize time-sensitive tasks over any other task, regardless of the long-term payoffs. This is a costly and emotionally draining way to spend your time. You could spend hours putting out fires and, at the end of the day, be no closer to reaching your long-term goals. Being busy is not the same as being productive.
