Be Like Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower was a five-star general and 34th President of the United States.  He helped win, then stop, hot wars (World War II and Korea), and navigated the country through eight years of the Cold War.  He is also know for his domestic accomplishments, like the Interstate Highway System.  One poll I found rates him as our fifth-best president (https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/presidents-ranked-from-worst-to-best-presidential-historians-survey-2017/40/).

So what was his secret?

Some think it was the way he prioritized his work.  He developed something called the Eisenhower Matrix.  As you can see in the picture, the Matrix consists of four boxes, or quadrants.  Briefly —

The highest priority is “Important” and “Urgent”.

Long-term goals that don’t have a firm deadline are “Important”, but “Not Urgent”.

Tasks that can be put off until the Important and Urgent jobs are finished or can be delegated are “Not Important”, but “Urgent”.

Finally, everything that can be considered “Not Important” and “Not Urgent” end up in the  last box and can actually be eliminated.

If you feel your life is out of control and would like to try this method, there is a tutorial at https://blog.trello.com/eisenhower-matrix-productivity-tool-trello-board?  (the source for this article).  Just remember, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”

 

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