Why do we lose control of our lives?
When we lose control of our lives, we feel a loss of energy. Life seems to be slipping out of our hands. There are more and more urgent things to do that we can’t do on time. We have to pay the electric bill, go to the eye doctor or to a parents’ meeting at school, and our private life recedes into the background. Serious matters take over us when it should be the other way around.
The most effective model to help cope with tasks and achieve goals is time management. There is a task matrix, also known as the Eisenhower Matrix, which Stephen Covey has refined and described in detail. This article will introduce the time and task management matrix and how to incorporate this approach into everyday life.
How did the Eisenhower matrix come about?
The thirty-fourth president of the United States, known as General Dwight Eisenhower, said: „What is important is rarely urgent, and what is urgent is rarely important.” With this principle, he created a time management model that fosters successful fulfillment of commitments and even allows you to find time for yourself.
The Eisenhower method is often called the Eisenhower box because of its convenient form of writing (a square table consisting of four quadrants). All plans for the near future easily fit into one corresponding quadrant:
Quarter I: important and urgent tasks
This section includes all tasks that require immediate attention. The most important thing for this group of issues is to complete them as soon as possible. When you finish, stop and think about it:
- How to avoid this stress in the future?
- How do you plan your work so that you don’t accumulate a burdensome baggage of tasks?
- Which tasks can be simplified and how to improve the process of completing them?
It is not enough to simply perform these tasks. If you repeat your mistakes again, they will again take up a lot of time and drain your energy reserves. They will keep you from achieving global goals.
A systematic solution must be found. Such a sequence of issues is better received as a guide from a mentor, who tells you what to do first. Reducing the number of contingencies will allow you to make up for the time you previously lacked.
Quadrant II: important and non-urgent tasks
This quarter contains important tasks that do not have deadlines. Non-urgent but important tasks usually include planning and anything related to self-improvement. They bring important benefits for career and personal development.
Examples:
- reading books,
- learning new skills,
- planning a family budget,
- renovating a room,
- medical checkups.
Such tasks require a lot of time and awareness to prioritize correctly. Being in a state of mind where you can look far into the future, you are sure to make the right choices. Long-term thinking helps simplify the prioritization process.
Procrastination tells us that someday you will find the time to do one task or another. By thinking this way, we overlook the fact that the abstract „someday” may not come at all.
If you stick to the quadrant II matrix, you probably have plenty of time for sports, personal relationships and plans. By doing non-urgent tasks, you can successfully manage your affairs and feel more at ease.
Quarter III: unimportant and urgent tasks
In general, these are everyday tasks such as phone calls, emails, business meetings and the like. If possible, try to delegate them, that is, ask someone less busy around you to do them. You have to keep balance in this process, namely not to abuse the kindness of those in your close circle.
Quarter IV: unimportant and non-urgent tasks
This list includes tasks that are not particularly important and can be done at any spare moment, for example sifting spam from our email inbox, using social networks and similar distracting activities. The activities included in this quarter do not significantly affect self-development and take away the opportunity to devote time to something really important.
Examples:
- watching a movie,
- playing computer games,
- surfing the Internet,
- browsing magazines.
You shouldn’t try to completely eliminate such tasks from your life. After a hard day’s work, it’s a good idea to allow yourself a break, for example by watching your favorite soap opera with your girlfriend or boyfriend.
How to start using the Eisenhower Matrix?
Taking into account the above chapters and the advice they contain, print or draw a table for yourself. Then fill in each square with tasks according to the categories. When making plans for the coming weeks, think carefully about which issues should be assigned to the first, second, third and fourth quadrants. The basic idea is to level the first quadrant, complete the tasks of the third and fourth quadrants as soon as possible or get rid of them completely, and then work on developing the second quadrant. The latter determines your success with optimal time management.
According to experts, acquiring habits is the basis for success. For example, if exercising becomes a daily tradition, we no longer think about it because it has become a habit. Writing down tasks to be done in the future is also a big help. Many people, keeping an eye on upcoming tasks, easily systematize their activities.
Recommended literature:
- https://experience.dropbox.com/pl-pl/resources/eisenhower-matrix/ (Czym jest macierz Eisenhowera? – eng. What is the Eisenhower Matrix?), viewed: 26 stycznia 2023
- https://wspolczesnymenedzer.pl/zarzadzanie/macierz-eisenhowera-co-to-jest-i-jak-ja-wykorzystac-w-planowaniu-zadan/ (Czym jest Macierz Eisenhowera i jak ją wykorzystać w planowaniu zadań? – eng. What is The Esenhower Matrix and how to use it in practice?), viewed: 26 stycznia 2023
- Stephen Covey – “7 nawyków skutecznego działania”, wyd. Dom Wydawniczy Rebis, Poznań 2006, red. Małgorzata Chwałek, tłum. Iwona Majewska-Opiełka (The 7 habits of highly effective people)
Translated by: Nadia Listopadska