#FPF – Week 83
How are your New Year’s resolutions going so far? It’s only the second week of 2018 and already you’re finding yourself slipping back into old habits?
Here’s something to help you be more productive:
The Productivity Matrix (Eisenhower’s Box)
In addition to being our 34th President, Dwight Eisenhower was also a 5-star general in the United States Army. Needless to say, this was a man that knew how to get things done. He devised this simple, yet effective system for taking a massive “to-do” list and making it a “to-done” list.
Here’s How It Works
Grab a piece of paper and separate it into 4 quadrants. Moving clockwise from the top-left box, write the following headings:
- Do Now (most important)
- Do Next (second-most important)
- Delegate (have someone else do)
- Delete (remove focus on items that don’t align with your goals)
Now begin to segment your tasks for the day – placing each one in the 4 boxes represented.
This process not only helps you to “triage” your to-do list, but also allows you to visualize those things that would be taking up your precious time and not contributing to your overall goals (which in turn can keep you from getting the most important things on your list done each day).
As President Eisenhower himself stated:
“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”
Thank you for reading and have a great weekend!