People of any age often complain about lack of time and excess duties. Often - almost daily - we are faced with a choice between pleasures and urgent tasks. We do not have enough time for family and friends, and the chef expects more commitment and accessibility from us.
Sometimes we dream that the day lasts 48 hours, because we do not have time to do everything we wanted. However, this is often a false impression, which follows from the irrational planning of our time - days, weeks, months. There are many ways to learn how to manage it. One technique is the Eisenhower matrix.
The "inventor" of the method is the famous American president. It was he - Dwight Eisenhower - who was famous not only for his wisdom, but also for the ability to perfectly manage his time. Thanks to this method, he managed to do a lot of what he planned. Eisenhower's priority matrix is also called the field, system, squares of his name. What is the essence of the technique?
This is a structure that resembles a coordinate system.
Eisenhower's matrix clearly illustrates the validity and relevance of actions. This is one of the most popular ways to schedule time. It does not matter what form our scheme takes, whether it is a coordinate system, a table or a simple distribution of points or points. We often face a dilemma of how important our tasks can be, or they can be neglected right now. Should we do something urgently, or can the case be rescheduled for tomorrow or someday. Eisenhower's matrix of urgency and importance distributes along the axes. The sheet is divided into four squares. For greater clarity, you can paint them in different colors or write with different markers. The vertical axis represents urgency; the horizontal axis represents importance. Of course, a number of factors influence these categories. You should take into account personal priorities and values, the emotional and financial significance of the case, the opinions of other people, the postponement of time, and much more. Eisenhower's matrix is an excellent tool for introspection. You can use it for any time period.
First of all, we must focus on important and urgent matters. By the way, the analysis of this coordinate system or table for
different periods will help us understand how and why such tasks arise. Indeed, often (and the Eisenhower matrix allows us to see this clearly), urgent matters are nothing more than the accumulation of less urgent tasks. Avrali and all kinds of
emergency situations compel us to devote a lot of time and energy to the implementation of what could be carried out systematically and calmly. After we do all the urgent and meaningful work, you can do less urgent, but important things. Their timely implementation will save us in the future from rumors and blockages.
The Eisenhower matrix, especially with timing (it is advisable to keep it in sight and regularly make corrections and marks), will help to understand something that could be neglected. For example, watching TV shows or computer games, talking on the phone or sitting endlessly in chat rooms and social networks are "time killers." Of course, rest is also needed, but if we manage to use the working day to the full, then we can calmly devote an hour and a half to pleasure and entertainment. This is especially important for freelancers, who themselves are responsible for the distribution of their time.