How to Fix Your Priorities Using the Eisenhower Matrix

Too Long; Didn't Read

Thanks to a study called 'The Mere Urgency Effect', we finally have evidence behind a bad habit most of us are guilty of: prioritizing urgent tasks over important ones. We're more likely to focus on time-sensitive tasks even if they're not as value-driving as other tasks. Are you confused by the two adjectives I just compared? 'Urgent' and 'important' mean the same thing – don't they?  Not quite.  If you spend your days putting out fires and never feeling fulfilled by the tasks you get done, you're likely prioritizing urgent tasks – aka, those with deadlines – over important tasks that deliver more value in the long run.  Enter the Eisenhower Matrix, an easy-to-understand and highly effective way of organizing tasks so that you can focus on what really matters in life. Let's take a closer look.