A Eisenhower matrix it is a topic that arises in the face of a huge demand for tasks, the feeling of not knowing where to start is quite common, especially when we talk about business management.
After all, there are several tasks concentrated in the hands of the manager, with great responsibility for the various sectors of the company – and even the most qualified professional can find it difficult to manage so much.
Therefore, it is necessary to establish methods, such as delegating functions and prioritizing some tasks over others, so that control over the project is maintained and deadlines are properly met.
In this sense, it is necessary to adopt effective tools that facilitate the task organization and allow the manager to take charge of the situation. One of the most efficient among these tools is the so-called Eisenhower Matrix, or Time Management Matrix.
And it was precisely with that in mind that we prepared this special article on the subject. Throughout the reading, you will know everything about the Eisenhower Matrix technique, and how to use it to make your work routine much more organized and productive.
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
Basically, we can define the Eisenhower Matrix as a powerful tool for time management and task management, based on the concepts of importance and urgency.
The method establishes priority levels between activities and defines which of them must be done immediately and which can be carried out later, in the same way that it decides which of these tasks can be delegated to third parties or even discarded.
The Eisenhower Matrix was created in 1989 by the American writer Stephen Covey, in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. It was inspired by a famous phrase said by Dwight D. Eisenhower, former president of the United States, that Covey named his method:
“I have two types of problems, urgent and important. The urgent ones are not important, and the important ones are never urgent”.
Analyzing technically, the concept of the Eisenhower Matrix is quite simple, but somewhat insightful: the matrix consists of classifying pending tasks into four different categories (here called quadrants), which must be arranged visually, as in a graph or spreadsheet. This division is very important, as it will guide the entire execution of the project.
The four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix
Having to deal with a very long list of tasks may seem discouraging or even worrying, but with a good effective method such as the Eisenhower Matrix, it is possible to optimize the process, correctly directing your time and effort so that the work flows more in a more peaceful, fluid and organized way.
It is not by chance that the Eisenhower Matrix is also called the Time Management Matrix, after all, its use is totally based on the correct use of your available time and the perfect fulfillment of your schedule. But how is this possible?
First, you need to organize all pending tasks in your project in a chart divided into four quadrants. You will have to divide your tasks between the quadrants, according to the priority level of each one. We present each of them below.
1. Important and urgent
In this first quadrant, highlight the top priority activities. Because they are as important as they are urgent, completing these tasks can influence your long-term goals in a decisive way.
Precisely for this reason, they leave no room for procrastination, carelessness or delegation – try to fulfill them yourself, and as soon as possible.
2. Important but not urgent
This category includes tasks that, although they require special attention from you and cannot be delegated, do not need to be completed immediately either.
In other words, they are activities that can be strategically carried out later. However, attention is needed so that they are not forgotten or neglected – also because, if they end up being played at the last minute, it is likely that they end up moving to the first quadrant.
3. Urgent but not important
This type of task corresponds to those that need to be done before others, but that can easily be delegated to other people. In general, operational activities that do not require the manager's direct involvement fit into this quadrant.
4. Neither important nor urgent
The last quadrant concerns tasks that can easily be left out. Meetings that could be resolved with an e-mail and certain bureaucratic activities that more cripple than serve the processes are good examples of activities belonging to the fourth quadrant.
As you can see, although urgency and importance are concepts often read as synonyms, under the prism of the Eisenhower Matrix, both have a flagrant difference. Identifying this difference is the big X of the issue when applying the tool.
The actions related to each quadrant of the Eisenhower Matrix
Now that you know the four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix and have already distributed your pending tasks among them, let's talk about the actions corresponding to each of these quadrants.
do (do)
The action corresponding to the first quadrant could not be more objective: the important and urgent tasks are your highest priorities, and the entire progress of the project depends on their completion.
This is precisely why they need to be immediately implemented, since non-compliance can have serious consequences for the progress of the work, including preventing the fulfillment of other activities (which is detrimental to achieving the established goals).
Schedule (schedule)
Quadrant II tasks, while important, don't have to be done right away. In general, they have more influence on activities and results in the medium and long term. For this reason, the best thing to do is to schedule them. However, do not neglect these tasks: schedule them for right after the activities in the previous quadrant are completed.
delegate (delegate)
The third quadrant pertains to urgent but not very important tasks. Usually, they don't depend on your specific skills, and can be performed by other team members.
Therefore, the action corresponding to these tasks is to delegate tasks. Delegation is recognized as an objective and effective way of managing the company's responsibilities, in addition to promoting the effective participation of team members.
Delete (delete)
At the end of the process of categorization of tasks into quadrants, the group of activities that demand neither importance nor urgency is left. In the end, these activities are nothing more than distractions in the middle of the path, that is: obstacles to the fulfillment of your goals.
Here, the guideline is to eliminate these tasks: fearlessly discard any activities that compromise the productivity of your project.
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Key benefits when using Eisenhower Matrix
As you can certainly see, adopting the Eisenhower Matrix provides a number of benefits to organizations that adopt it. Among the main advantages observed in companies that adhered to the priority quadrants model, the main ones are:
Organization
Once the activities are defined according to their levels of urgency and importance, management gains control over the project and, consequently, all sectors of the company start to operate in a more efficient and orderly way.
Transparency
Viewing tasks and their priority levels improves communication and makes the company's processes clearer – which is extremely beneficial for increasing productivity and reducing levels of stress and anxiety.
Problem solving
With tasks properly organized and hierarchical, the rate of resolution of any problems that may arise throughout the project tends to increase exponentially.
Productivity
By making use of a good task management system, the entire team starts to work more motivated and confident, and with optimized focus, which increases the agility and efficiency of the process.
Assertiveness
The optimization and structuring provided by the use of the Eisenhower Matrix to organize your work tasks favors that decision-making at a strategic level takes place quickly and accurately.
Flexibility
The Eisenhower Matrix can be used in conjunction with other task organization methods, such as the Trello: Kanban: Canvas and many others.
Easy implementation
Finally, we emphasize that the Eisenhower Matrix technique stands out because it is an easy-to-implement tool, since, to adhere to the practice, no expenditure is required. financial with paid software, specialized apps or specific materials.
The time used to produce it is also not very significant, so that it is possible to organize the matrix quickly and, immediately afterwards, go to action.
In fact, it is an extremely objective tool that allows the improvement of time management and the definition of priorities in a precise and accurate way, being indicated both for senior managers and for freelancers or any type of professional involved with several projects and clients. simultaneous.
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