TesTeq
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Yes, I agree. Yesterday I delegated the "eat your dinner" task to my cat Xenia and she destroyed a table lamp.
Success with Eisenhower Matrix?
- Thread starter joshwalsh
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zonezmusic
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Hello all, first time posting to the forum (but a GTD/David Allen fanboy for almost 2 decades). Looking forward to becoming a fellow positive contributing member to the forum.
Sorry to bump this older thread but I've literally come back to this multiple times over the past 24 hours after discovering the Eisenhower Matrix while researching tools and seeing how it might be implemented into the GTD practice. Full disclosure: I don't follow GTD 100% but rather use it's methodologies mixed in with some Stephen Covey and Tim Ferriss ideas.
The reason why I was drawn to the Eisenhower Matrix is the visual aspect. Sounds so simple but there have been some recent tasks that have added a ton to my cognitive load and reviewing lists of texts haven't helped as much as a few seconds of this simple 4 quadrant matrix. I tried researching a ton of tools and the one I ended up going with was Priority Matrix by Appfluence. I really wanted to find something else as this one is tied in deep to the Microsoft family and my entire GTD system is based on Macbook reminders powering my other apps. So I had to download Microsoft's To Do app to communicate via Exchange to Microsoft and also have it connect to iCloud reminders. Opus one also can do this directly to Reminders but it's a one way sync with tasks (reminders) and actually removes it whereas with Priority Matrix, it just creates a copy, which I like since I like having backups of everything in case something goes wrong. Several ppl complained about the $8 per month cost but from what I read, there is a free tier so long as you only have 5 projects. What I'm thinking I'll do is use it only for weekly review, my highest priority projects that require deeper thought and possibly daily although still not sure.
@Gardener - Thanks for the cat food analogy. Your thought process was very helpful. While the cat food itself doesn't seem like a big deal (unless you're out of course), but the more fundamental thinking of having a system and schedule to get household items on a regular basis is more important. I think that's why incorporating this Eisenhower matrix has become an obsession over the last day as it could impact my entire work flow.
Thanks for reading!
Sorry to bump this older thread but I've literally come back to this multiple times over the past 24 hours after discovering the Eisenhower Matrix while researching tools and seeing how it might be implemented into the GTD practice. Full disclosure: I don't follow GTD 100% but rather use it's methodologies mixed in with some Stephen Covey and Tim Ferriss ideas.
The reason why I was drawn to the Eisenhower Matrix is the visual aspect. Sounds so simple but there have been some recent tasks that have added a ton to my cognitive load and reviewing lists of texts haven't helped as much as a few seconds of this simple 4 quadrant matrix. I tried researching a ton of tools and the one I ended up going with was Priority Matrix by Appfluence. I really wanted to find something else as this one is tied in deep to the Microsoft family and my entire GTD system is based on Macbook reminders powering my other apps. So I had to download Microsoft's To Do app to communicate via Exchange to Microsoft and also have it connect to iCloud reminders. Opus one also can do this directly to Reminders but it's a one way sync with tasks (reminders) and actually removes it whereas with Priority Matrix, it just creates a copy, which I like since I like having backups of everything in case something goes wrong. Several ppl complained about the $8 per month cost but from what I read, there is a free tier so long as you only have 5 projects. What I'm thinking I'll do is use it only for weekly review, my highest priority projects that require deeper thought and possibly daily although still not sure.
@Gardener - Thanks for the cat food analogy. Your thought process was very helpful. While the cat food itself doesn't seem like a big deal (unless you're out of course), but the more fundamental thinking of having a system and schedule to get household items on a regular basis is more important. I think that's why incorporating this Eisenhower matrix has become an obsession over the last day as it could impact my entire work flow.
Thanks for reading!
In the guitar world, people talk about GAS: Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. It's when you start obsessing over a new guitar. Maybe a particular model, a particular guitar, or a particular type. You mostly get over it, eventually, until the next wave hits.
Similar behavior can occur with respect to productivity: you have to have it, you have to make it work, it will make everything easier. The reality is that productivity is kind of boring from a GTD point of view. You collect stuff. Then the other four workflow steps. Lather, rinse, repeat. Boring. Even problems I am not looking forward to handling are kind of boring (just got a new one this morning). Exciting opportunities are the same, reversed. You need a system that is robust, clear, as simple as possible, and scales well. It has to be easy and boring so that you can focus on the work you are doing, and not on the tools.
You can argue that the list tool I am currently using (Things) implements Eisenhower-like urgency/importance categories in the form of dues dates and, well, cute little yellow stars. Most digital list managers do something along these lines, and Microsoft Todo is no exception. There's also nothing wrong with having extra tools like outliners, mindmaps, or Eisenhower matrices to help out. David Allen says that the value of future planning lies largely in the change in current behavior it brings. In my experience that's true. I would use the Eisenhower matrix as a helpful auxiliary planning tool, not something for everyday use.
Jim
GTD Ninja
I implemented the Eisenhower Matrix into TaskPaper, using AppleScript and Keyboard Maestro.
maestromacros.com
I use it during my weekly reviews, and when I want to focus in on a small set of items. It helps refresh my perspective on projects.
It is helpful, but I don't use it every day.
I hope that helps!
Jim’s Matrix Macro
maestromacros.com
I use it during my weekly reviews, and when I want to focus in on a small set of items. It helps refresh my perspective on projects.
It is helpful, but I don't use it every day.
I hope that helps!
zonezmusic
Registered
Hi @mcogilvie thanks for your reply and for your opinion about not using it for everyday use. It's also funny how you mention guitars as I also love guitar so will throw some guitar analogies your way for fun conversation. Totally agree that you really just need a solid guitar (a Fender or Les Paul would be more than enough) but have you ever tried a Fernandes Sustainer? It's sorta like an ebow but you can have it sustain ALL 6 strings. So while you may not have a use for it all the time, it can inspire new sounds and new ways of playing, writing that you otherwise might not have had playing a regular strat. So while I agree there is that part of it where it's shiny object syndrome, I don't think it's 100% that but we can both agree that so long as it inspires you, then that's already worth it (well assuming you have the budget. $8 app vs $2000 guitar ha!
Also in my specific use case, maybe inspiration was actually the most important thing vs a system. Please allow me to explain. I have a very important, time sensitive project I've been working on for a month and last weekend, an elderly family member fell down who I had to help schedule an doctor's appt and also work with the whole Covid situation as well which only added to the thought process. This appt led to another day of dealing with health insurance, etc, etc So the lost days I had took me out of my flow and in an effort to "feel productive" found myself going down the rabbit hole of doing minor tasks, responding to non urgent emails and Linkedin messages. And when I discovered the Eisenhower matrix, my project (and it's supporting sub-tasks) very clearly stood out to me as the items I needed to be working on. Had I performed my typical Weekly Review, I could've easily spent a few hours on organizing all my other inbox items when really, 99.9% of them are unimportant compared to my major project (with exception of my family member's health items) So going back to the guitar analogy, I guess it's sorta like if you are having writer's block, maybe your usual creative tool just isn't cutting it for you at that moment in time and being able to express yourself through another medium is all you need to get the creative juices flowing.
Thanks for the conversational jam session!
zonezmusic
Registered
Thanks @Jim Yes that makes sense. Thanks for sharing. I was feeling something similar but was still processing how it might fit in to my workflow so weekly reviews seems to make sense. Much appreciated and I'll check out those apps!I implemented the Eisenhower Matrix into TaskPaper, using AppleScript and Keyboard Maestro.
Jim’s Matrix Macro
I use it during my weekly reviews, and when I want to focus in on a small set of items. It helps refresh my perspective on projects.
It is helpful, but I don't use it every day.
I hope that helps!
John Ismyname
Registered
I think of this as more of a concept than a usable tool My thoughts are as follows;
Important & Urgent - tasks we have to deal with right away. My question is always "would it have been more effective for me to have dealt with this before it became urgent" When it was just..."
Important & Not Urgent - This is the crux of the matrix - tasks that do not get the attention because they are not urgent ... yet!
Not Important & Urgent - You have to ask yourself "how did this unimportant task become urgent?" I hate to date myself but I grew up in an era where there was no internet, no cel phones. Even an answering machine on a landline telephone was a rarity! Basically, if the phone or the doorbell rang, it was urgent. However, one didn't know if it was important or not important. Now, there is no excuse for that. Technology aside, Not Important & Urgent have usually been deemed urgent by someone else. Such tasks may not even be important...
Not Important & Not Urgent ... yet
If such tasks will neither become urgent nor important, then why are you doing them?
Taking the trash to the curb is neither important nor urgent to me. On Tuesday morning at 6:50 am it will be urgent (as my trash is picked up at 7:00 am) It's not particularly important as something urgent and important could come up. However, I would still have to deal with my trash.
My point is that if I ignored this unimportant task long enough, it would eventually become important & urgent!
Important & Urgent - tasks we have to deal with right away. My question is always "would it have been more effective for me to have dealt with this before it became urgent" When it was just..."
Important & Not Urgent - This is the crux of the matrix - tasks that do not get the attention because they are not urgent ... yet!
Not Important & Urgent - You have to ask yourself "how did this unimportant task become urgent?" I hate to date myself but I grew up in an era where there was no internet, no cel phones. Even an answering machine on a landline telephone was a rarity! Basically, if the phone or the doorbell rang, it was urgent. However, one didn't know if it was important or not important. Now, there is no excuse for that. Technology aside, Not Important & Urgent have usually been deemed urgent by someone else. Such tasks may not even be important...
Not Important & Not Urgent ... yet
If such tasks will neither become urgent nor important, then why are you doing them?
Taking the trash to the curb is neither important nor urgent to me. On Tuesday morning at 6:50 am it will be urgent (as my trash is picked up at 7:00 am) It's not particularly important as something urgent and important could come up. However, I would still have to deal with my trash.
My point is that if I ignored this unimportant task long enough, it would eventually become important & urgent!
TesTeq
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@John Ismyname Reading the latest news about Kim Kardashian is not important, nor urgent for me. Will it eventually become important and urgent?
John Ismyname
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LOL, TT, I did not realize that "Keeping Up WIth The Kardashians" was a task to you! Your wit and humour aside, let's say, hypothetically, that you did. Kardashian fans do so purely for recreational entertainment purposes. Where is recreation in the matrix? It is not urgent we have recreation but it is important (even for us type-A personality high-achieving GTDers). Therefore, recreation is type 2 - not urgent but important activity.@John Ismyname Reading the latest news about Kim Kardashian is not important, nor urgent for me. Will it eventually become important and urgent?
If we do not schedule recreation time, will it happen by itself?
This proves the superiority of the gtd approach: you might follow the two-minute rule, and learn all you need to know about the Kardashians. Or you might be inspired by their ability to turn dubious celebrity into fortune, and make them a case study project in your business school class.@John Ismyname Reading the latest news about Kim Kardashian is not important, nor urgent for me. Will it eventually become important and urgent?
TesTeq
0
@John Ismyname "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is not my recreational Area of Focus but windsurfing is. And I don't know how my approach to this Area of Focus fits in the GTD framework. My algorithm is following:
1. Check the weather. If it is good for windsurfing and there are no Important & Urgent tasks, go windsurfing. Then do everything else.
So my Eisenhower Matrix has five fields: Windsurfing, Important & Urgent, Important & Not Urgent, Not Important & Urgent, Not Important & Not Urgent.
1. Check the weather. If it is good for windsurfing and there are no Important & Urgent tasks, go windsurfing. Then do everything else.
So my Eisenhower Matrix has five fields: Windsurfing, Important & Urgent, Important & Not Urgent, Not Important & Urgent, Not Important & Not Urgent.
OK, so windsurfing could be an area of focus. Or is it a context? But I have a different question. Do you think "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" is one area of focus, or three? And if one is using the Eisenhower matrix approach, are they urgent or important or both? This is mainly of theoretical interest for me, but I feel that all these questions must be settled before I can possibly get anything done.@John Ismyname "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is not my recreational Area of Focus but windsurfing is. And I don't know how my approach to this Area of Focus fits in the GTD framework. My algorithm is following:
1. Check the weather. If it is good for windsurfing and there are no Important & Urgent tasks, go windsurfing. Then do everything else.
So my Eisenhower Matrix has five fields: Windsurfing, Important & Urgent, Important & Not Urgent, Not Important & Urgent, Not Important & Not Urgent.
kelstarrising
Kelly | GTD expert
Depends. Are you doing them at the same time?
So nice to have you back keeping us focused!
John Ismyname
Registered
By your own admission, you are following the Eisenhower. You start with the your important and urgent tasks. If there are none, and the weather is co-operative, you move on to your imortant and non-urgent, which includes recreation. Subsumed under recreation is windsurfing, watching TV (like Keeping Up With The Kardasians) and listening to music (like Sex And Drugs And Rock 'n Roll by Ian Dury and the Blockheads).@John Ismyname "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is not my recreational Area of Focus but windsurfing is. And I don't know how my approach to this Area of Focus fits in the GTD framework. My algorithm is following:
1. Check the weather. If it is good for windsurfing and there are no Important & Urgent tasks, go windsurfing. Then do everything else.
So my Eisenhower Matrix has five fields: Windsurfing, Important & Urgent, Important & Not Urgent, Not Important & Urgent, Not Important & Not Urgent.
Rather than be a passive observer, wouldn’t it be better to do sex, drugs and rock & roll with the Kardashians? You know, skip the TV and rock nostalgia. Honestly, if you’re doing important or urgent, shouldn’t you be doing stuff that’s more … something.
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John Ismyname
Registered
Either "active" or "passive", it's still recreation and still in the "Important but not urgent" quadrant. (Note I am not being drawn into the innuendos I think this thread has gotten a little off topic
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Actually, it‘s benign humor reflecting a serious point: If you classify next actions and projects habitually acording to importance and urgency, and try to act at all times according to those criteria, one of two things will happen: either everything is important and/or urgent OR you will not do things which are necessary, fun, rewarding, spontaneous et cetera. I’m not talking about Eisenhower planning D-day, or anyone’s periods of high workload. We all have urgent things (calendars and due dates) and important things (I have nice gold stars for my lists in Things). Even when I am very busy, I can do what I want to do- it’s my choice to make. Sometimes the best thing to do is go windsurfing…Either "active" or "passive", it's still recreation and still in the "Important but not urgent" quadrant. (Note I am not being drawn into the innuendos I think this thread has gotten a little off topic
Jim
GTD Ninja
Chiming in on this, as I have altered my matrix.
I now have items tagged with @today in my upper left quadrant.
Items tagged as @important are in my upper right quadrant.
Items with a due date are in my lower left quadrant.
And items marked with @next are in my lower right quadrant.
Thus far, I like using the matrix this way. The views are concise and focused.
I hope that helps!
I now have items tagged with @today in my upper left quadrant.
Items tagged as @important are in my upper right quadrant.
Items with a due date are in my lower left quadrant.
And items marked with @next are in my lower right quadrant.
Thus far, I like using the matrix this way. The views are concise and focused.
I hope that helps!