Dwight Eisenhower lived one of the most productive lives you can imagine.

Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States. He launched programs that directly led to the development of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, the launch of the internet, NASA, among other accomplishments.

Eisenhower had an incredible ability to sustain his productivity. It’s no surprise that his methods for time management, task management, and productivity have been studied by many people.

One of his most popular productivity strategies is known as the Eisenhower Matrix (which I like to refer to as the Productivity Matrix). It is a time-management technique with a very basic premise: some tasks are urgent and others are not. When you organize those, you can make better use of your time.

The matrix consists of a square divided into four quadrants:

The key to utilizing the productivity matrix is being able to differentiate between urgent and important. Urgent tasks require immediate attention. Important tasks contribute to long-term goals.

Urgent tasks require immediate attention. Focus on the task at hand, minus the distractions, to get urgent tasks completed.

Important tasks contribute to our long-term mission, values, and goals. Often times, important tasks are also urgent, but typically they’re not. When we focus on important activities, we generally operate in a responsive mode. This helps us remain calm, rational, and open to new opportunities.

All in all, the end goal of the matrix is to help you filter the noise from your decisions and concentrate on what really matters — pull out a pen and paper and try it out!

Need a little more than the productivity matrix — hiring a virtual assistance is a great way to ensure that your tasks are knocked out without the stress of doing it yourself.

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