Do it or dump it?
Wrangle your to-do list, today.
Do you have an endless to-do list? Join the club. No sooner do you tick things off than new stuff lands, like an avalanche. If only there was a way to sort the news from the noise and focus on the stuff that matters most. Guess what? There is.
What is it?
Eisenhower’s Matrix is a smart way to sort the get-it-done from the does-it-really-matter. This 4x4 grid helps sort your list into bite-sized chunks based on urgency and importance: do it, delegate, diarise or dump it.
Who is it for?
Anyone wrangling a never-ending to-do list.
People who find ‘doing it’ easier than delegating.
How does it work?
Back in the 60’s, President Eisenhower found himself the owner of the world’s longest to do list. While he definitely had people to help, he was finding that ‘urgent’ jobs would regularly take precedence over far more ‘important’ ones. So they developed this matrix.
Eisenhower’s Matrix recognises the value of importance and urgency, by acknowledging the risk in only oiling the squeakiest wheels. Because that’s when important stuff gets missed.
Why not see if it works for you. Break down your to-do-list by what’s Urgent and what’s Important. If something ticks both boxes, get it done. If it’s important, but not urgent, make time in your diary to give it the time it deserves. If it’s urgent, but less important, ask someone to take it off your hands – and if it’s neither urgent, nor important, then dump it. That’s why we call this “Do it or Dump it”.
Learn more.
Todoist.com – Avoid the ‘urgency trap’.
HBR.com - Eisenhower’s Matrix
Like this idea?
Sign up for the latest tips and tools.
Straight to your inbox, on us.