Tool 21/30 - Eisenhower matrix

 

The objectives of this short ten minute exercise -

1. To learn a management tool that will be helpful in work life 
2. To apply the learning

1. To start a great day using this morning ritual

Step 1 - the warm up

Keep your journal and pen at hand

Sit in a relaxed position with an intent to go into a ‘flow state’ to learn something new

Take three deep, powerful breaths to lock in your focus and start the next step

Step 2 - the learning

About Eisenhower matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix was developed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the USA, to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. It helps individuals and businesses allocate time effectively, focusing on critical tasks while avoiding distractions. Introduced in the 1950s, it remains widely used today for improving productivity and decision-making.

Situations (examples) where this tool can be best used

• Strategic decision-making in crisis
• Project management overload
• Balancing operational and strategic goals

The top three mental muscles (competencies) developed by practicing this tool

• Decision-making
• Problem-solving
• Time management

A corporate story to understand the usage of this tool

The Anne Wojcicki (23andMe) story

Background:

Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of 23andMe, revolutionized consumer genetics by making DNA testing accessible and affordable. Managing the complexities of a biotech startup required Anne to focus on critical priorities while delegating or eliminating distractions

Application of the Eisenhower Matrix

Urgent & Important (Do It):

When FDA regulations temporarily halted 23andMe’s health-related genetic tests, Anne prioritized addressing compliance issues. She immediately mobilized resources to work with regulatory authorities, ensuring the company could resume operations

Not Urgent but Important (Schedule It):

Anne recognized the importance of educating consumers about genetics. She scheduled long-term initiatives, such as partnerships with academic institutions and creating awareness campaigns to improve genetic literacy

Urgent but Not Important (Delegate It):

Anne delegated tasks like handling media inquiries and organizing promotional events to her communications team, allowing her to focus on strategic goals

Not Urgent & Not Important (Eliminate It):

Anne avoided distractions such as attending unrelated industry conferences or pursuing non-core business opportunities, keeping her focus on advancing 23andMe’s mission.

Conclusion:

By effectively using the Eisenhower Matrix, Anne streamlined decision-making, enabling 23andMe to overcome challenges and maintain its pioneering position in consumer genetics.

A story from the World Wars

My personal story

Context

I was assigned the responsibility of coordinating our first-ever Fellows programme to identify the top-notch techies from our company. The task list was huge viz. Talk to Gartner to learn from them, communicate about the programme, ask the participants to create ppts, identify and invite judges - a professor from IIT, Chennai, Dean of IIIT, our Global IT Head from the UK, our own India CEO etc etc. 

All this required a lot of planning, dialogue and discussions. Some things had to be done on priority such as blocking the time of the judges, creating presentation templates etc And some other tasks could be done later. This is how my Eisenhower matrix looked.

Urgent and important - do it - List all tasks, assign the relevant Eisenhower quadrant to each, create program structures/ dates, block Judges' calendars

Not urgent but important - schedule it - Assign roles to identify support people, nominate and invite candidates

Urgent but not important - delegate it - Presentation template creation, getting candidates ready to present

Not urgent and not important - eliminate it - Hand over post-selection tasks to the sponsor

Step 3 - the reflection

Sit back, go down memory lane, think of various events in your work life where you could have used this learning.

If nothing comes to mind, think of a situation that would help you answer any one of these interview questions.

1. “How do you prioritize your tasks when faced with tight deadlines?” - Discuss how you use the Eisenhower Matrix to classify tasks and benefit from this
2. “How do you decide which tasks to delegate to your team?” - Talk about tasks in your domain/ function that are urgent but not important. Share how you benefited by this
3. “Which of your tasks can be eliminated without impacting your work” - Share how you use Eisenhower matrix and list down some tasks that you eliminated e.g. unnecessary networking events, micromanagement, low-impact email chains etc.

Step 4 - the practice

Apply your learning to the situation you selected above.

• Urgent and important - do it
• Not urgent but important - schedule it
• Urgent but not important - delegate it
• Not urgent and not important - eliminate it

Step 5 - the victory lap

Celebrate your achievement for a minute. Maybe a quick victory lap doing some energizing exercise?

**

To those who felt, “Some tools require data, software, or resources that may not be readily available. This discourages management tool usage” - Do you feel that the last ten minutes were worth the effort?

I must tell you that most companies have institutionalised this tool.

This exercise is not only about management tools. It’s about building a neural pathway. And it’s about my mantra for creating small daily acts of feeling successful and happy. 

Don’t forget to carry this image 👇 in your mind. There could be a great situation where you may want to use the tool. Keep a log of all such situations. This practice will help you when you want to train someone.

My congratulations for your first dose of the day of success and happiness. Have a great day ahead.