How to Be MoreProductive and Eliminate Time-Wasting Activities by Using the 'Eisenhower Box'
Dwight Eisenhower livedone of the most productive lives you can imagine.
Eisenhower was the 34th president of theUnited States, serving two terms from 1953 to 1961. During his time in office,he launched programs that directly led to the development of the Interstate HighwaySystem in the United States, the launch of the Internet (DARPA), theexploration of space (NASA), and the peaceful use of alternative energy sources(Atomic Energy Act).
Before becoming president, Eisenhowerwas a five-star general in the United States Army, served as the SupremeCommander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, and wasresponsible for planning and ｅxecuting invasions of North Africa, France, andGermany.
At other points along the way, he servedas President of Columbia University, became the first Supreme Commander ofNATO, and somehow found time to pursue hobbies like golfing and oil painting.
Eisenhower had an incredible ability tosustain his productivity not just for weeks or months, but for decades. And forthat reason, it is no surprise that his methods for time management, taskmanagement, and productivity have been studied by many people.
His most famous productivity strategy isknown as the Eisenhower Box, and it's a simple decision-making tool that youcan use right now. Let's talk about how to be more productive and howEisenhower's strategy works.
TheEisenhower Box: How to Be More Productive
Eisenhower's strategy for taking action and organizing your tasks is simple.Using the decision matrix below, you will separate your actions based onfour possibilities.
Urgent and important (tasks you will doimmediately).
Important, but not urgent (tasks you will schedule to do later).
Urgent, but not important (tasks you will delegate to someone else).
Neither urgent nor important (tasks that you will eliminate).
The great thing about this matrix isthat it can be used for broad productivity plans ("How should I spend mytime each week?") and for smaller, daily plans ("What should I dotoday?").
The DifferenceBetween Urgent and Important
Whatis important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.
Dwight Eisenhower
Urgent tasks are things that you feel like you need to react to:emails, phone calls, texts, news stories. Meanwhile, in the words of BrettMcKay, "Important tasks are things that contribute to our long-termmission, values, and goals."
Separating these differences is simple enough to do once, butdoing so continually can be tough. The reason I like the Eisenhower Method isthat it provides a clear framework for making the decisions over andover again. And like anything in life, consistency is the hard part.
Here are some other observations I've made from using thismethod.
Elimination BeforeOptimization
A few years ago, I was reading about computer programming when Icame across an interesting quote:
"Thereis no code faster than no code."
Kevlin Henney
In other words, the fastest way to get something done whetherit is having a computer read a line of code or crossing a task off your to-dolist is to eliminate that task entirely. There is no faster way to dosomething than not doing it at all. That's not a reason to be lazy, but rathera suggestion to force yourself to make hard decisions and ｄelete any task thatdoes not lead you toward your mission, your values, and your goals.
Too often, we use productivity, time management, and optimizationas an excuse to avoid the really difficult question: "Do I actually needto be doing this?" It is much easier to remain busy and tell yourself thatyou just need to be a little more efficient or to "work a little latertonight" than to endure the pain of eliminating a task that you arecomfortable with doing, but that isn't the highest and best use of your time.
As Tim Ferriss says, "Being busy is a form of laziness lazy thinking and indiscriminate action."
I find that the Eisenhower Method is particularly useful becauseit pushes me to question whether an action is really necessary, which means I'mmore likely to move tasks to the "Delete" quadrant rather thanmindlessly repeating them. And to be honest, if you simply eliminated all ofthe things you waste time on each day then you probably wouldn't need any tipson how to be more productive at the things that matter.
Does This Help MeAccomplish My Goal?
One final note: It can be hard to eliminate time-wastingactivities if you aren't sure what you are working toward. In my experience,there are two questions that can help clarify the entire process behind theEisenhower Method.
Those two questions are...
1. What am I workingtoward?
2. What are the corevalues that drive my life?
These are questions that I have asked myselfin my Annual Review and my Integrity Report. Answering these questions hashelped me clarify the categories for certain tasks in my life. Deciding whichtasks to do and which tasks to ｄelete becomes much easier when you are clearabout what is important to you.
The Eisenhower Method isn't a perfect strategy, but I have foundit to be a useful decision-making tool for increasing my productivity andeliminating the behaviors that take up mental energy, waste time, and rarelymove me toward my goals. I hope you'll find it useful too.
Article Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/eisenhower-box_b_7208412.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living
Image Source: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-05-04-1430775002-6056297-eisenhowerbox-thumb.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Matrix (n.) ~ a mold inwhich something is cast or shaped
2. Delegate (v.) ~ entrust atask or responsibility to another person
3. Framework (n.) ~ a basic structure underlying a system
4. Optimization (n.) ~ an act or process of making something asfully perfect or effective as possible
5. Indiscriminate (adj.) ~ done at random or without carefuljudgment
QUESTIONS FORDISCUSSION:
1. How do you organize your daily task?
2. Do you often meet work deadlines or doyou sometimes forget some of the things that you have to do? Give details onyour answer.
3. What do you think of the Eisenhower Box?Will it be helpful for you?
