Urgent vs important. The Eisenhower matrix - Revision history

S202957 at 21:18, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T21:18:21Z

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	This article aims to portray the current society in which we live in, where outcomes are needed “for yesterday”. Urgent activities are much more visible short-term, whereas important matters will pay off on the long run<ref name="7 habits"/>. With the Eisenhower matrix <ref name="eisenhower"/> as a starting point this article explains how to achieve effectiveness in project, program and portfolio management by identifying the tasks that are urgent but important and leaving out the ones that are distracting <ref name="illusion">Kennedy DR, Porter AL. (2021) The Illusion of Urgency. Am J Pharm Educ. 29:8914. doi: 10.5688/ajpe8914. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34716138.</ref>.		This article aims to portray the current society in which we live in, where outcomes are needed “for yesterday”. Urgent activities are much more visible short-term, whereas important matters will pay off on the long run<ref name="7 habits"/>. With the Eisenhower matrix <ref name="eisenhower"/> as a starting point this article explains how to achieve effectiveness in project, program and portfolio management by identifying the tasks that are urgent but important and leaving out the ones that are distracting <ref name="illusion">Kennedy DR, Porter AL. (2021) The Illusion of Urgency. Am J Pharm Educ. 29:8914. doi: 10.5688/ajpe8914. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34716138.</ref>.

	~~"''What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.''" Eisenhower~~

	== What are important and urgent tasks? ==		== What are important and urgent tasks? ==
	~~'''Brief introduction to the history of the Eisenhower matrix and the concept. Definition of important and urgent tasks.'''~~

	If we look up the word urgency in the dictionary it is defined as “the quality or state of requiring immediate action or attention.” The definition itself highlights the instantaneous responsiveness urgent tasks urge. These tasks transmit the feeling that you have to act on them as soon as they are put on your desk <ref name="7 habits"/>. An example of urgent tasks are incoming mails or phone calls. The pressure of receiving a new email in your inbox and leaving the notification hanging until you are done with your current task is unbearable. Most probably the task you are doing has a bigger outcome magnitude, however responding the email will give you a sense of accomplishment and effectiveness, which is much more rewarding (at least for the now). If you weigh out the two tasks it will result in the simplest task (replying the email) being more tempting than completing the more time consuming but more important task <ref name="illusion"/>.		If we look up the word urgency in the dictionary it is defined as “the quality or state of requiring immediate action or attention.” The definition itself highlights the instantaneous responsiveness urgent tasks urge. These tasks transmit the feeling that you have to act on them as soon as they are put on your desk <ref name="7 habits"/>. An example of urgent tasks are incoming mails or phone calls. The pressure of receiving a new email in your inbox and leaving the notification hanging until you are done with your current task is unbearable. Most probably the task you are doing has a bigger outcome magnitude, however responding the email will give you a sense of accomplishment and effectiveness, which is much more rewarding (at least for the now). If you weigh out the two tasks it will result in the simplest task (replying the email) being more tempting than completing the more time consuming but more important task <ref name="illusion"/>.
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	== Advantages and limitations ==		== Advantages and limitations ==
	~~'''What is useful and what should you be aware of when using the matrix.'''~~

	The Eisenhower matrix is not the solution to all of your problems. The prioritization tool is a good method for the end goal of project managers: to achieve the specific project objectives under the defined boundaries, counting with numerous advantages. However it also has its limitations. When using the matrix be aware of some aspects that involve directly or indirectly the planning of tasks.		The Eisenhower matrix is not the solution to all of your problems. The prioritization tool is a good method for the end goal of project managers: to achieve the specific project objectives under the defined boundaries, counting with numerous advantages. However it also has its limitations. When using the matrix be aware of some aspects that involve directly or indirectly the planning of tasks.

S202957 at 21:17, 21 March 2022

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	1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").		1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").

	~~[[File:Quickstep1.png\|474x299px]]~~

	2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-Urgent&Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Urgent&Important". This category will store high priority mails/tasks.		2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-Urgent&Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Urgent&Important". This category will store high priority mails/tasks.

	[[File:~~Quickstep2~~.~~PNG~~\|474x299px]]		[[File:Quickstep1.png\|474x299px]]

	3. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant II tasks. It can be called 2-Important-Schedule. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Important-Schedule" and allow you to create a new appointment to schedule the task in your calendar. This category will store important but not urgent tasks.		3. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant II tasks. It can be called 2-Important-Schedule. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Important-Schedule" and allow you to create a new appointment to schedule the task in your calendar. This category will store important but not urgent tasks.

	[[File:~~Quickstep3~~.~~png~~\|~~478x300px~~]]		[[File:Quickstep2.PNG\|474x299px]]

	4. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant III tasks. It can be called 3-Delegated. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Delegated" and allow you to place a meeting with the person you are delegating the task to.		4. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant III tasks. It can be called 3-Delegated. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Delegated" and allow you to place a meeting with the person you are delegating the task to.

	[[File:~~Quickstep4~~.png\|~~486x299px~~]]		[[File:Quickstep3.png\|478x300px]]

	5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.		5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.

	[[File:~~Quickstep5~~.png\|~~600x275px~~]]		[[File:Quickstep4.png\|486x299px]]

	As a result, mails and tasks will be organized in the two respective folders: Eisenhower and Archive, and in the different categories. The picture illustrates there is one pending task in each of the three first quadrants of the matrix.		As a result, mails and tasks will be organized in the two respective folders: Eisenhower and Archive, and in the different categories. The picture illustrates there is one pending task in each of the three first quadrants of the matrix.

			[[File:Quickstep5.png\|600x275px]]

	Another good way to manage time more smartly is to communicate in the subject of the email its importance and urgency. Sharing the tactic inside the team will allow for everyone to simplify the process of organizing the emails into the different folders as just by reading the subject you will know what quadrant it belongs to. When receiving an email notification in the middle of the day, it is not necessary to check the content of the email as the subject will let you know whether it has to be attended immediately or whether it can wait until the next time slot for organizing emails arrives.		Another good way to manage time more smartly is to communicate in the subject of the email its importance and urgency. Sharing the tactic inside the team will allow for everyone to simplify the process of organizing the emails into the different folders as just by reading the subject you will know what quadrant it belongs to. When receiving an email notification in the middle of the day, it is not necessary to check the content of the email as the subject will let you know whether it has to be attended immediately or whether it can wait until the next time slot for organizing emails arrives.

S202957 at 21:15, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T21:15:49Z

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	5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.		5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.

	[[File:Quickstep5.png\|~~500x175px~~]]		[[File:Quickstep5.png\|600x275px]]

	As a result, mails and tasks will be organized in the two respective folders: Eisenhower and Archive, and in the different categories. The picture illustrates there is one pending task in each of the three first quadrants of the matrix.		As a result, mails and tasks will be organized in the two respective folders: Eisenhower and Archive, and in the different categories. The picture illustrates there is one pending task in each of the three first quadrants of the matrix.

S202957 at 21:15, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T21:15:18Z

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	5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.		5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.

			[[File:Quickstep5.png\|500x175px]]

			As a result, mails and tasks will be organized in the two respective folders: Eisenhower and Archive, and in the different categories. The picture illustrates there is one pending task in each of the three first quadrants of the matrix.

S202957 at 21:11, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T21:11:43Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:11, 21 March 2022
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	This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders to organize them in urgent, tasks to schedule, tasks to delegate and the ones that can be archived. This is enabled through the tool “Quick Step”, which is a defined sequence of actions that you invoke for each mail. The following steps depict how to organize emails and tasks with Outlook in an effective way.		This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders to organize them in urgent, tasks to schedule, tasks to delegate and the ones that can be archived. This is enabled through the tool “Quick Step”, which is a defined sequence of actions that you invoke for each mail. The following steps depict how to organize emails and tasks with Outlook in an effective way.

			1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").

	[[File:Quickstep1.png\|474x299px]]		[[File:Quickstep1.png\|474x299px]]

	1. Create ~~two folders, one~~ for ~~quadrants~~ I~~, II and III (it has been named~~ "Eisenhower"~~), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks (~~"~~Archive~~").		2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-Urgent&Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Urgent&Important". This category will store high priority mails/tasks.

	[[File:Quickstep2.PNG\|474x299px]]		[[File:Quickstep2.PNG\|474x299px]]

	2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-~~Urgent&~~Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "~~Urgent&~~Important". This category will store ~~high priority mails/~~tasks.		3. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant II tasks. It can be called 2-Important-Schedule. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Important-Schedule" and allow you to create a new appointment to schedule the task in your calendar. This category will store important but not urgent tasks.

	3. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant II tasks. It can be called 2-Important-Schedule. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Important-Schedule" and allow you to create a new appointment to schedule the task in your calendar. This category will store important but not urgent tasks.		[[File:Quickstep3.png\|478x300px]]

	4. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant III tasks. It can be called 3-Delegated. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Delegated" and allow you to place a meeting with the person you are delegating the task to.		4. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant III tasks. It can be called 3-Delegated. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Delegated" and allow you to place a meeting with the person you are delegating the task to.

			[[File:Quickstep4.png\|486x299px]]

	5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.		5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.

S202957 at 21:08, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T21:08:16Z

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	1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").		1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").

			[[File:Quickstep2.PNG\|474x299px]]

	2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-Urgent&Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Urgent&Important". This category will store high priority mails/tasks.		2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-Urgent&Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Urgent&Important". This category will store high priority mails/tasks.

S202957 at 21:07, 21 March 2022

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	~~''Dear reader, I have had trouble with the images, the error will be fixed for the final delivery :) Some sections still have to be completed.''~~

	A successful project is one that can accomplish a balance between three factors: scope, time and cost. This is what is known as the Iron Triangle <ref>Caccamese, A. & Bragantini, D. (2012). Beyond the iron triangle: year zero. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—EMEA, Marsailles, France. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.</ref> . The quality of a project in the center of it all is constrained by the administration of these three factors. In order to fulfill the established triangle, and therefore the project be a success, there must be an effective task management amongst people in the team<ref name="7 habits">Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change (25th anniversary edition.). New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref>. One of the most important parts of task management is prioritizing. The leaders responsibility is to prioritize tasks and projects, and to make the right decisions while doing it. And in some cases non of the two are performed. The success rate of projects increases when prioritizing, but not only, it also plays an essential role in the alignment and focus of management teams in the consecution of goals and eliminates uncertainty in decision making for operational teams<ref name="HBR"> Nieto-Rodrigez, A. (2016). How to Prioritize your Company's Projects. Harvard Business Review. Accessed 20 March 2020, https://hbr.org/2016/12/how-to-prioritize-your-companys-projects.</ref>. There is a global misconception of what is important and what is urgent when it comes to task prioritization. President Dwight D. Eisenhower developed a method to classify and plan tasks in relation to these two factors: importance and urgency, in which tasks are organized in a matrix of 2x2, categorized in Do, Schedule, Delegate and Don’t do.		A successful project is one that can accomplish a balance between three factors: scope, time and cost. This is what is known as the Iron Triangle <ref>Caccamese, A. & Bragantini, D. (2012). Beyond the iron triangle: year zero. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—EMEA, Marsailles, France. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.</ref> . The quality of a project in the center of it all is constrained by the administration of these three factors. In order to fulfill the established triangle, and therefore the project be a success, there must be an effective task management amongst people in the team<ref name="7 habits">Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change (25th anniversary edition.). New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref>. One of the most important parts of task management is prioritizing. The leaders responsibility is to prioritize tasks and projects, and to make the right decisions while doing it. And in some cases non of the two are performed. The success rate of projects increases when prioritizing, but not only, it also plays an essential role in the alignment and focus of management teams in the consecution of goals and eliminates uncertainty in decision making for operational teams<ref name="HBR"> Nieto-Rodrigez, A. (2016). How to Prioritize your Company's Projects. Harvard Business Review. Accessed 20 March 2020, https://hbr.org/2016/12/how-to-prioritize-your-companys-projects.</ref>. There is a global misconception of what is important and what is urgent when it comes to task prioritization. President Dwight D. Eisenhower developed a method to classify and plan tasks in relation to these two factors: importance and urgency, in which tasks are organized in a matrix of 2x2, categorized in Do, Schedule, Delegate and Don’t do.

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	This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders to organize them in urgent, tasks to schedule, tasks to delegate and the ones that can be archived. This is enabled through the tool “Quick Step”, which is a defined sequence of actions that you invoke for each mail. The following steps depict how to organize emails and tasks with Outlook in an effective way.		This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders to organize them in urgent, tasks to schedule, tasks to delegate and the ones that can be archived. This is enabled through the tool “Quick Step”, which is a defined sequence of actions that you invoke for each mail. The following steps depict how to organize emails and tasks with Outlook in an effective way.

			[[File:Quickstep1.png\|474x299px]]

	1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").		1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").

S202957 at 20:57, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T20:57:39Z

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	#Crisis managers. These are the ones who keep their focus in the relevant outcomes that need an urgent action, this is Quadrant I. Crisis managers are deadline driven and have a problem mindset. Quadrant I will only grow bigger with tasks and will take over their complete schedule. Their matrix looks like follows: 90% dedicated to important and urgent tasks and the remaining 10% to the opposite, Quadrant IV. Quadrants II and III are basically off the table.		#Crisis managers. These are the ones who keep their focus in the relevant outcomes that need an urgent action, this is Quadrant I. Crisis managers are deadline driven and have a problem mindset. Quadrant I will only grow bigger with tasks and will take over their complete schedule. Their matrix looks like follows: 90% dedicated to important and urgent tasks and the remaining 10% to the opposite, Quadrant IV. Quadrants II and III are basically off the table.
	#Irresponsible managers, urgent but not important oriented managers. These people spend most of their time in Quadrant III, attending urgent but non important tasks, giving them as much priority as if they were important. These managers are not acting in the best way as they are not allocating resources effectively. Urgent and not important activities can be delegated with no negative consequences and you can prioritize your time for important tasks. In addition, they tend to spend the rest of their time working in unnecessary tasks, in Quadrant IV.		#Irresponsible managers, urgent but not important oriented managers. These people spend most of their time in Quadrant III, attending urgent but non important tasks, giving them as much priority as if they were important. These managers are not acting in the best way as they are not allocating resources effectively. Urgent and not important activities can be delegated with no negative consequences and you can prioritize your time for important tasks. In addition, they tend to spend the rest of their time working in unnecessary tasks, in Quadrant IV.
	#Effective managers. The kind of profile the Eisenhower matrix aims to build. Oppositely to the previous type, they spend their time attaining important tasks, leaving out of their scope the non significant ones, urgent or not. The quadrant they spend most of their time in is Quadrant II, the space in which you can dedicate time to your “long-term mission, values and goals” ~~[Brett McKay]~~. Another positive attitude is that Quadrant I decreases in size as the tasks shift to Quadrant II. As you invest more time in planning and organizing the activities the crisis and struggles that we were talking about from Quadrant I can be avoided and removed. In the book First things first, Stephen Covey’s key concept is to spend most of your time in Quadrant II. This shift from urgent to importance is addressed by answering the question ‘What are first things?’. The process he describes to reach the effective manager position is to start by organizing weekly and zooming into daily planning. Firstly, connect with your vision and mission. Then select the goals in Quadrant II and create a schedule for that week. For the daily tasks, keep first things first, having in consideration the unforeseen opportunities and challenges that come up in the day.		#Effective managers. The kind of profile the Eisenhower matrix aims to build. Oppositely to the previous type, they spend their time attaining important tasks, leaving out of their scope the non significant ones, urgent or not. The quadrant they spend most of their time in is Quadrant II, the space in which you can dedicate time to your “long-term mission, values and goals” <ref name="web"/>. Another positive attitude is that Quadrant I decreases in size as the tasks shift to Quadrant II. As you invest more time in planning and organizing the activities the crisis and struggles that we were talking about from Quadrant I can be avoided and removed. In the book First things first <ref name="first"/>, Stephen Covey’s key concept is to spend most of your time in Quadrant II. This shift from urgent to importance is addressed by answering the question ‘What are first things?’. The process he describes to reach the effective manager position is to start by organizing weekly and zooming into daily planning. Firstly, connect with your vision and mission. Then select the goals in Quadrant II and create a schedule for that week. For the daily tasks, keep first things first, having in consideration the unforeseen opportunities and challenges that come up in the day.


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	Going through the inbox and reading all the emails can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the daily work life. A common mistake that managers do is to block the first hour in the morning to dedicate it to clearing their inbox. In other words, they prioritize emails over other tasks, placing it in Quadrant I, as an important and urgent activity. This might not be the case sometimes as we receive tones of emails throughout the day that might not be important, urgent, or both. On the other hand, if, for example, you have been working on an important task the day before and you are waiting for an urgent email on the matter then it can be a good idea to allocate a specific amount of time that morning before you attend the rest of the tasks of the day.		Going through the inbox and reading all the emails can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the daily work life. A common mistake that managers do is to block the first hour in the morning to dedicate it to clearing their inbox. In other words, they prioritize emails over other tasks, placing it in Quadrant I, as an important and urgent activity. This might not be the case sometimes as we receive tones of emails throughout the day that might not be important, urgent, or both. On the other hand, if, for example, you have been working on an important task the day before and you are waiting for an urgent email on the matter then it can be a good idea to allocate a specific amount of time that morning before you attend the rest of the tasks of the day.

	This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders.		This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders to organize them in urgent, tasks to schedule, tasks to delegate and the ones that can be archived. This is enabled through the tool “Quick Step”, which is a defined sequence of actions that you invoke for each mail. The following steps depict how to organize emails and tasks with Outlook in an effective way.

	1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").		1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").
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	#How will you hand over the task, how will you track its progress and how will you evaluate that it meets the expected outcome? These three questions are something the Eisenhower matrix does not assess, you are the one to evaluate the steps that involve placing a task in Quadrant III. The same way you delegate tasks to others you should be open to take in tasks that are not yours. It can be hard to know where to place the line of how much time do I allocate for "returning the favor”.		#How will you hand over the task, how will you track its progress and how will you evaluate that it meets the expected outcome? These three questions are something the Eisenhower matrix does not assess, you are the one to evaluate the steps that involve placing a task in Quadrant III. The same way you delegate tasks to others you should be open to take in tasks that are not yours. It can be hard to know where to place the line of how much time do I allocate for "returning the favor”.

	It cannot be assured that the Eisenhower matrix will have the same effect when used as a daily planning tool whereas when used for weekly organization <ref name="first> Covey, S. R., Merrill, A. R., & Merrill, R. R. (1994). First things first: to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy. New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref>. When organizing your tasks, thinking of a weekly or monthly timeframe provides a much wider view		It cannot be assured that the Eisenhower matrix will have the same effect when used as a daily planning tool whereas when used for weekly organization <ref name="first"> Covey, S. R., Merrill, A. R., & Merrill, R. R. (1994). First things first: to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy. New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref>. When organizing your tasks, thinking of a weekly or monthly timeframe provides a much wider view

	New tasks can appear having to make changes to your plan. Or an already existing task that you had placed in the second quadrant, for example, suddenly becomes urgent as the deadline has changed. You had scheduled the task to be done in a specific date however now it has turned into an immediate task of the quadrant I. Projects are not static. This means they suffer change, a change in the scope, in the time or in the cost; going back to the iron triangle mentioned at the start of this article. You have to be aware that the time management matrix is not a fixed tool, it should be used as one that allows flexibility and adaptability, just as projects do, and it can be argued that the Eisenhower matrix enables this without requiring a good amount of effort.		New tasks can appear having to make changes to your plan. Or an already existing task that you had placed in the second quadrant, for example, suddenly becomes urgent as the deadline has changed. You had scheduled the task to be done in a specific date however now it has turned into an immediate task of the quadrant I. Projects are not static. This means they suffer change, a change in the scope, in the time or in the cost; going back to the iron triangle mentioned at the start of this article. You have to be aware that the time management matrix is not a fixed tool, it should be used as one that allows flexibility and adaptability, just as projects do, and it can be argued that the Eisenhower matrix enables this without requiring a good amount of effort.

S202957 at 20:47, 21 March 2022

2022-03-21T20:47:46Z

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	Going through the inbox and reading all the emails can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the daily work life. A common mistake that managers do is to block the first hour in the morning to dedicate it to clearing their inbox. In other words, they prioritize emails over other tasks, placing it in Quadrant I, as an important and urgent activity. This might not be the case sometimes as we receive tones of emails throughout the day that might not be important, urgent, or both. On the other hand, if, for example, you have been working on an important task the day before and you are waiting for an urgent email on the matter then it can be a good idea to allocate a specific amount of time that morning before you attend the rest of the tasks of the day.		Going through the inbox and reading all the emails can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the daily work life. A common mistake that managers do is to block the first hour in the morning to dedicate it to clearing their inbox. In other words, they prioritize emails over other tasks, placing it in Quadrant I, as an important and urgent activity. This might not be the case sometimes as we receive tones of emails throughout the day that might not be important, urgent, or both. On the other hand, if, for example, you have been working on an important task the day before and you are waiting for an urgent email on the matter then it can be a good idea to allocate a specific amount of time that morning before you attend the rest of the tasks of the day.

	This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders. ~~TO BE CONTINUED~~...		This being said, allocating time in the day for reading and responding to emails is a good behavior for an effective time management. It is a matter of when to do it and how. Spend half an hour, an hour or two hours for this action, but choose the time slot strategically according to the rest of the tasks in the day. The solution to the how is the Eisenhower prioritization methodology. Outlook allows you to classify the emails in folders.

			1. Create two folders, one for quadrants I, II and III (it has been named "Eisenhower"), and another one for quadrant IV tasks, archived tasks ("Archive").

			2. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant I tasks. It can be called 1-Urgent&Important. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Urgent&Important". This category will store high priority mails/tasks.

			3. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant II tasks. It can be called 2-Important-Schedule. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Important-Schedule" and allow you to create a new appointment to schedule the task in your calendar. This category will store important but not urgent tasks.

			4. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant III tasks. It can be called 3-Delegated. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the mails to the folder "Eisenhower" in the category of "Delegated" and allow you to place a meeting with the person you are delegating the task to.

			5. Create a "Quick step" for Quadrant IV tasks. It can be called 4-Archive. The image shows the actions that will occur to the mail that you select to acquire this quick step. It will move the unnecessary mails to the folder "Archive.


	Another good way to manage time more smartly is to communicate in the subject of the email its importance and urgency. Sharing the tactic inside the team will allow for everyone to simplify the process of organizing the emails into the different folders as just by reading the subject you will know what quadrant it belongs to. When receiving an email notification in the middle of the day, it is not necessary to check the content of the email as the subject will let you know whether it has to be attended immediately or whether it can wait until the next time slot for organizing emails arrives.		Another good way to manage time more smartly is to communicate in the subject of the email its importance and urgency. Sharing the tactic inside the team will allow for everyone to simplify the process of organizing the emails into the different folders as just by reading the subject you will know what quadrant it belongs to. When receiving an email notification in the middle of the day, it is not necessary to check the content of the email as the subject will let you know whether it has to be attended immediately or whether it can wait until the next time slot for organizing emails arrives.

S202957 at 17:08, 20 March 2022

2022-03-20T17:08:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:08, 20 March 2022
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	''Dear reader, I have had trouble with the images, the error will be fixed for the final delivery :) Some sections still have to be completed.''		''Dear reader, I have had trouble with the images, the error will be fixed for the final delivery :) Some sections still have to be completed.''

	A successful project is one that can accomplish a balance between three factors: scope, time and cost. This is what is known as the Iron Triangle <ref>Caccamese, A. & Bragantini, D. (2012). Beyond the iron triangle: year zero. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—EMEA, Marsailles, France. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.</ref> . The quality of a project in the center of it all is constrained by the administration of these three factors. In order to fulfill the established triangle, and therefore the project be a success, there must be an effective task management amongst people in the team<ref name="7 habits">Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change (25th anniversary edition.). New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref>. There is a global misconception of what is important and what is urgent when it comes to task prioritization. President Dwight D. Eisenhower developed a method to classify and plan tasks in relation to these two factors: importance and urgency, in which tasks are organized in a matrix of 2x2, categorized in Do, Schedule, Delegate and Don’t do.		A successful project is one that can accomplish a balance between three factors: scope, time and cost. This is what is known as the Iron Triangle <ref>Caccamese, A. & Bragantini, D. (2012). Beyond the iron triangle: year zero. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—EMEA, Marsailles, France. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.</ref> . The quality of a project in the center of it all is constrained by the administration of these three factors. In order to fulfill the established triangle, and therefore the project be a success, there must be an effective task management amongst people in the team<ref name="7 habits">Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change (25th anniversary edition.). New York: Simon & Schuster.</ref>. One of the most important parts of task management is prioritizing. The leaders responsibility is to prioritize tasks and projects, and to make the right decisions while doing it. And in some cases non of the two are performed. The success rate of projects increases when prioritizing, but not only, it also plays an essential role in the alignment and focus of management teams in the consecution of goals and eliminates uncertainty in decision making for operational teams<ref name="HBR"> Nieto-Rodrigez, A. (2016). How to Prioritize your Company's Projects. Harvard Business Review. Accessed 20 March 2020, https://hbr.org/2016/12/how-to-prioritize-your-companys-projects.</ref>. There is a global misconception of what is important and what is urgent when it comes to task prioritization. President Dwight D. Eisenhower developed a method to classify and plan tasks in relation to these two factors: importance and urgency, in which tasks are organized in a matrix of 2x2, categorized in Do, Schedule, Delegate and Don’t do.

	This article aims to portray the current society in which we live in, where outcomes are needed “for yesterday”. Urgent activities are much more visible short-term, whereas important matters will pay off on the long run<ref name="7 habits"/>. With the Eisenhower matrix ~~[ ]~~ as a starting point ~~a step by step guide of~~ this ~~task~~ management ~~tool will help you identify~~ the tasks that are urgent but important and ~~leave~~ out the ones that are distracting ~~you from achieving personal effectiveness~~<ref name="illusion">Kennedy DR, Porter AL. (2021) The Illusion of Urgency. Am J Pharm Educ. 29:8914. doi: 10.5688/ajpe8914. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34716138.</ref>.		This article aims to portray the current society in which we live in, where outcomes are needed “for yesterday”. Urgent activities are much more visible short-term, whereas important matters will pay off on the long run<ref name="7 habits"/>. With the Eisenhower matrix <ref name="eisenhower"/> as a starting point this article explains how to achieve effectiveness in project, program and portfolio management by identifying the tasks that are urgent but important and leaving out the ones that are distracting <ref name="illusion">Kennedy DR, Porter AL. (2021) The Illusion of Urgency. Am J Pharm Educ. 29:8914. doi: 10.5688/ajpe8914. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34716138.</ref>.

	"''What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.''" Eisenhower		"''What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.''" Eisenhower
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	===The tool===		===The tool===

	The Eisenhower matrix or Eisenhower box is a decision making tool which prioritizes and manages tasks relative to their urgency and their importance ~~<ref name="research"/> <ref name="merimeri"> meriMeri~~, ~~M. (2018) Managing Time Work in~~ a ~~Culture~~ of ~~Inaccuracy: What Success~~		The Eisenhower matrix or Eisenhower box is a decision making tool which prioritizes and manages tasks relative to their urgency and their importance. The matrix has four quadrants, each representing a classification of tasks. The classification is based on four parameters:
	~~of the Time Management Matrix?~~. ~~International Journal of Business and Management Invention (IJBMI). Volume 7 Issue 5 Ver. I. 46-50.</ref>. Tasks are evaluated and placed under one of the~~ four ~~scenarios that the matrix holds. The quadrants are the following~~:

			#Relevance of the task to the project
			#Effort required for achieving the task
			#Availability of time to complete the task
			#Impact on the project

			The quadrants are distributed in two axes, urgency versus importance. Tasks with similar values from the above mentioned parameters are grouped together to get a clear overview of the deliverables <ref name="research"/> <ref name="merimeri"> meriMeri, M. (2018) Managing Time Work in a Culture of Inaccuracy: What Success of the Time Management Matrix?. International Journal of Business and Management Invention (IJBMI). Volume 7 Issue 5 Ver. I. 46-50.</ref>.

			The four quadrants of the matrix are explained below.

			[[File:MatrixEisenhower.png\|320x300 px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 2: The Eisenhower Matrix]]

	'''Quadrant I: Important and urgent'''		'''Quadrant I: Important and urgent'''
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	And lastly, the non important and non urgent tasks which do not contribute to your goals and long-term strategy. They should be eliminated from your task list. However, they are the ones that divert your attention most easily <ref name="research"/>.		And lastly, the non important and non urgent tasks which do not contribute to your goals and long-term strategy. They should be eliminated from your task list. However, they are the ones that divert your attention most easily <ref name="research"/>.

	~~[[File:MatrixEisenhower.png\|320x300 px\|thumb\|left\|Figure 2: The Eisenhower Matrix]]~~


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	Having defined the basics lets get into the details of the Eisenhower matrix. We can define different profiles of project managers considering how they organize their tasks.		Having defined the basics lets get into the details of the Eisenhower matrix. We can define different profiles of project managers considering how they organize their tasks.

	#Crisis managers. These are the ones who keep their focus in the relevant outcomes that need an urgent action, this is Quadrant I. Crisis managers are deadline driven and have a problem mindset. Quadrant I will only grow bigger with tasks and will take over their complete schedule. Their matrix looks like follows: 90% dedicated to important and urgent tasks and the remaining 10% to the opposite, Quadrant IV. Quadrants II and III are basically off the table.		#Crisis managers. These are the ones who keep their focus in the relevant outcomes that need an urgent action, this is Quadrant I. Crisis managers are deadline driven and have a problem mindset. Quadrant I will only grow bigger with tasks and will take over their complete schedule. Their matrix looks like follows: 90% dedicated to important and urgent tasks and the remaining 10% to the opposite, Quadrant IV. Quadrants II and III are basically off the table.

	~~FIGURE~~

	#Irresponsible managers, urgent but not important oriented managers. These people spend most of their time in Quadrant III, attending urgent but non important tasks, giving them as much priority as if they were important. These managers are not acting in the best way as they are not allocating resources effectively. Urgent and not important activities can be delegated with no negative consequences and you can prioritize your time for important tasks. In addition, they tend to spend the rest of their time working in unnecessary tasks, in Quadrant IV.		#Irresponsible managers, urgent but not important oriented managers. These people spend most of their time in Quadrant III, attending urgent but non important tasks, giving them as much priority as if they were important. These managers are not acting in the best way as they are not allocating resources effectively. Urgent and not important activities can be delegated with no negative consequences and you can prioritize your time for important tasks. In addition, they tend to spend the rest of their time working in unnecessary tasks, in Quadrant IV.
			#Effective managers. The kind of profile the Eisenhower matrix aims to build. Oppositely to the previous type, they spend their time attaining important tasks, leaving out of their scope the non significant ones, urgent or not. The quadrant they spend most of their time in is Quadrant II, the space in which you can dedicate time to your “long-term mission, values and goals” [Brett McKay]. Another positive attitude is that Quadrant I decreases in size as the tasks shift to Quadrant II. As you invest more time in planning and organizing the activities the crisis and struggles that we were talking about from Quadrant I can be avoided and removed. In the book First things first, Stephen Covey’s key concept is to spend most of your time in Quadrant II. This shift from urgent to importance is addressed by answering the question ‘What are first things?’. The process he describes to reach the effective manager position is to start by organizing weekly and zooming into daily planning. Firstly, connect with your vision and mission. Then select the goals in Quadrant II and create a schedule for that week. For the daily tasks, keep first things first, having in consideration the unforeseen opportunities and challenges that come up in the day.

	~~FIGURE (III and IV)~~

	#Effective people. The kind of profile the Eisenhower matrix aims to build. Oppositely to the previous type, they spend their time attaining important tasks, leaving out of their scope the non significant ones, urgent or not. The quadrant they spend most of their time in is Quadrant II, the space in which you can dedicate time to your “long-term mission, values and goals” [Brett McKay]. Another positive attitude is that Quadrant I decreases in size as the tasks shift to Quadrant II. As you invest more time in planning and organizing the activities the crisis and struggles that we were talking about from Quadrant I can be avoided and removed. In the book First things first, Stephen Covey’s key concept is to spend most of your time in Quadrant II. This shift from urgent to importance is addressed by answering the question ‘What are first things?’. The process he describes to reach the effective manager position is to start by organizing weekly and zooming into daily planning. Firstly, connect with your vision and mission. Then select the goals in Quadrant II and create a schedule for that week. For the daily tasks, keep first things first, having in consideration the unforeseen opportunities and challenges that come up in the day.

	~~FIGURE~~		[[File:ManagersEisenhower.png\|800x212px\|thumb\|center\|Figure 3: From left to right: the crisis manager, the irresponsable manager and the efficient manager.]]