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"Most of what fills a day - talks, tasks, and duties - is just noise pretending to be important." - Alan Watts

We all know that we need to work on what's important. Yet we all tend to get caught up in the urgent and overwhelming tasks of the day. It takes intentionality to focus on the important. It takes effort and some discomfort at times. I sometimes need a reminder and a refresher on the benefits of these tough actions.

One thing I almost always return to is the Eisenhower Matrix, which you may have heard of. Or maybe you haven't...

Just two years ago, I was facilitating a mastermind group of Gen Z and Millennial leaders when I casually mentioned the Eisenhower Matrix. I expected it to be a comment that focused us and we would move on. Instead, I spent the next half hour explaining the matrix, how it works, and why it should be used. It was one of the most impactful meetings I had with that group.

So, here's a recap of the matrix and at the end I'll share my secret to why I think so many miss the usefulness of the tool.

The Eisenhower Matrix:

History tells us that President Eisenhower didn't use the graphical representation most popular today, but that came from leadership guru Stephen Covey. (Additional credit to my father, who left a copy of Covey's 7 Habits book lying around the house and nudged me into this world of personal development & leadership)

Eisenhower's name is on the matrix because he executed this concept so well and because of a quote he shared during a speech in 1954:

"I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent."

So the Eisenhower matrix is a 2x2 matrix with Urgent on one axis and Important on the other.

I could spend at least 30 minutes talking though each quadrant and the matrix as a whole. But I'd lose several of you... So, I'll just be brief in this newsletter.

The main takeaway is to make time for and focus on the Important & Not Urgent tasks. These are the tasks that will be most impactful but also most often skipped over for Urgent activities.

The Secret

I'm all for teaching the Eisenhower Matrix but I've realized most trainings and articles on the topic are missing something vital. It's almost like handing over a car to a teenager but never teaching them they have to refuel (or recharge!) it. The vehicle will only be useful for a short time before it just becomes useless.

The problem with most people's use of the matrix is that they fail to define what is important and urgent for them and their situation.

Importance can vary within an organization or even for us as individuals. We have to define what is important at different levels and sometimes at different times. What's important for me may not be important for my boss, and those differences have to be resolved for the matrix to work properly.

This is one reason why I focus so much on individual and company values with my clients. Stated values define what is important, regardless of the goals or current projects.

Urgency also requires some definition for the Eisenhower matrix to be most effective. If you tell your team a project is "urgent," they may jump into action and get it done immediately, dropping the other tasks they have to do. But what if their other task was more urgent and you wanted them to finish it before starting on the next urgent task? If you don't define it, then it's your fault for the chaos that ensues.

Especially as leaders, we have to define urgency and priorities. Not just once, but constantly.

I could go on, but I think I've gotten my point across for the day.

Bottom Line:

Use the Eisenhower Matrix to focus on the important. And be sure you define what important means.

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Thanks for reading,

Phil

405 Leadership Advisors LLC

We help leaders define strategy and implement with ​confidence and clarity.