Hey,
In the midst of a busy professional & personal period, I have found myself ‘drifting’. What do I mean?
Yes, I was getting a lot done. Yes, I was making progress
But I was still wrestling (internally) with some chaos & subsequently a lack of clarity based on the number of tasks I felt I still had to do.
As a result the little things were becoming big things…
Including bizarre thing like paint the deck, wash the cars, throw out some old clothes etc etc, tiny things which were becoming disproportionately massive to me…
None of these were going to shift the dial in my parenting or on the world leadership stage but ALL of which were slightly de-railing me from having a real clarity & subsequently creating a ‘drift’ that was taking me from optimal to functional.
I know this is not uncommon & the the re-set I needed was to re-engage with the Eisenhower Matrix.
It’s a a simple, powerful tool to help us prioritise based on urgency and importance
The Matrix breaks tasks into four clear quadrants:
- Urgent & Important – Do these right away. These are the critical issues that can’t wait.
- Important but Not Urgent – Schedule time for these. They’re strategic, high-value tasks that drive long-term success.
- Urgent but Not Important – Delegate. These feel pressing but don’t require your expertise.
- Neither Urgent nor Important – Eliminate. These are distractions draining your time and focus.
The 20 mins I spent determining my personal & professional priorities using this framework, has done 3 things:
- Allowed me to focus on what on what truly moves the needle in both spaces.
- Reduced my time wasted on low-impact activities and making room for thoughtful leadership/ better parenting.
- Re-set my thinking & moved me from a ‘drifting space’ to a spot of calm & control.
So next time your to-do list feels overwhelming, pause & sort your tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix.
Thanks for reading.
Rich x
