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L
EARNING
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EARN
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ECOMING
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XPERIENCE
5: T
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RODUCTIVITY
READING
Time Management Matrix: Importance and Urgency
President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Most things which are urgent are not important, and most
things which are important are not urgent.” He is known to have made use of a matrix which is now
sometimes called the Eisenhower Matrix or Importance-Urgency Matrix. Author and professional
speaker Stephen Covey included a revised version of the matrix in his best-selling book,
The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People
, shining a well-deserved spotlight on this useful analytical tool.
We have already considered the trap of confusing what is interesting with what is important. Given the
sense of urgency that pervades so much of modern life where messages as well as coffee are “instant,”
another and perhaps more pernicious trap is confusing what is important with that which is merely
urgent. Covey writes,
It’s important to realize that urgency itself is not the problem. The problem is that when urgency
is the dominant factor in our lives, importance isn’t. What we regard as ‘first things’ are urgent
things. We’re so caught up in doing, we don’t even stop to ask if what we’re doing really needs
to be done.
The Time Management Matrix (shown below) can help you focus your time and energy on
what’s most
important
and avoid those activities that are less important or not important to you. While that’s a great
strategy for making decisions about prioritizing concrete tasks, it is an invaluable guide for the much
larger issue of realizing the life goals you have and will set for yourself.
Urgent
NOT Urgent
NOT Important
Important
stress
value
deception
regret
I
II
III
IV
crises
pressing problems
deadline-driven
projects
education
preparation
relationship-building
new opportunities
popular activities
some communication
most interruptions
trivia
timewasters
Time Management Matrix
Let’s examine the individual quadrants of the Time Management Matrix:
Quadrant I: Urgent and Important
These tasks or activities must be done immediately, and they are important; they also tend to cause
stress. Ignoring activities in this quadrant can cause problems that range from serious (jeopardizing
your life goals) to life-threatening.