Eisenhower Matrix: what it is, how it works and 4 steps to do it!

Managing time and productivity is one of the most important tasks for those who work in fleet and freight management , or even to provide greater productivity in agricultural management . When routines start to become overloaded, failures can occur, processes are delayed and the customer experience is compromised.

To do this, it is essential that you find tools that help increase your daily productivity and provide agility and efficiency in your activities. The Eisenhower matrix is ​​an important mechanism that can be used in this context.

With it, you can achieve greater success in your business and have a more peaceful routine, without setbacks. Learn more about the matrix below and get your questions answered.

What is Eisenhower Matrix?

This was called the Eisenhower Matrix that was devised by former US President Dwight Eisenhower to use in organizing activities according to two criteria combined, urgency and importance. But how are each of them classified? See :

• urgency: these are those that have a shorter deadline to be resolved;
• importance: these are those that are directly related to the company’s objectives and goals.

By combining these two elements at four points on the matrix, you can organize tasks to identify what needs to be resolved more quickly and which can be left for another time.

How does it work?

The Eisenhower matrix works based on the necessary categorization and observation to identify everything that needs to be done and the priority that each person should dedicate to these issues. Its function is to visualize existing demands more clearly and, thus, avoid directing efforts immediately on issues that can be done later or even delegated to other professionals.

What are its benefits?

The Eisenhower matrix is ​​used mainly because it is a simple and extremely beneficial strategy for guiding the productivity of your business, whether in cargo transportation or agricultural management . See below the main benefits of adopting it.

Task prioritization

Among the first steps, it is important to know how to prioritize tasks to be done. S/he is often confronted with many pending tasks, but of course, not all need to be done this moment, and what is a priority can be well arranged.

This is because you can spend important time on tasks that could be done at another time, leaving those that are urgent aside. This way, you can direct your efforts efficiently.

Organization

By determining what is urgent and important, it is possible to organize schedules that include the completion of each task. After all, a non-priority action often depends on another, more urgent, action being performed.

This makes it possible to resolve a chain of interconnected issues in your business, as well as identify what is needed to resolve each of them.

For example, if it is urgent to maintain a vehicle so that it can be put into circulation, you need to analyze what supplies are needed for this purpose. This way, you can make everything you need to organize activities and keep productivity high.

Agility

When you can clearly visualize everything that needs to be done, you can act more proactively and resolve issues more quickly. This is also true because you can identify which tasks are interconnected and define which ones need to be completed more quickly in order to continue with others.

More accurate decision making

Managers rarely use reason and instead, rely on emotions in making decisions, especially when there is a problem. In such cases, an enormous amount of energy can be devoted to the wrong but important-not-urgent problem.

The Eisenhower matrix puts before you clearly whether a given issue really needs to be addressed by you now or if you can delegate that or do it some other time. Replace agricultural equipment. Do you need to replace the equipment now whenever a problem arises, or can that wait? The matrix helps with such a problem.

How to make the Eisenhower matrix?

You can create the matrix in several ways: in an online file, in software that has this function, or even manually on a sheet of paper. Check out the four steps below to adopt it in your routines.

1. Draw four columns to start

It can also be done manually. Want to see an example? Take a sheet of paper and then divide it into four parts. And then on each of them you should write: urgent and important, urgent and not important, not urgent and important, and not urgent and not important.

This classification works as follows:

• important and urgent: needs to be done immediately or as soon as possible;
• important and not urgent: these are essential issues that need to be addressed, linked to the objectives of your activity, but which can be developed in the medium and long term. You have more autonomy to decide when to do them;
• urgent and not important: issues that must be done quickly, but are not necessarily linked to the company’s direct objectives.
• not urgent and not important: the tasks are on the list, they must be done, but they can wait or, depending on the situation, they can even be eliminated.

2. List all the tasks to be performed elsewhere

To organize the tasks that need to be completed, write down everything that is pending in another place. Even small tasks that do not need to be completed immediately should be listed there.

3. Separate the items in each column

After you’ve finished the list, it’s time to assess each item based on its categorization. You’ll be able to view the priority using this.

4. Set schedules and delegate tasks

Now that you’ve divided all business activities into each category in the matrix, it is time to outline what activities should be undertaken and when, which enables the identification of what can be outsourced to other professionals.

For instance, by having someone else within the company take up the task of writing an important email to the client, you will have more time at your disposal to allocate to other concerns that may require more of your concentration in the day.

The Eisenhower Matrix is ​​very important because it helps one not waste time on non-essential issues and defines what really occupies first place when you do work activities. The mechanism is also recommended for self-employed people because, unlike others, they are faced with the difficulty of delegating tasks.