As agents, you’re often left with many competing workflows and a seemingly endless to-do list. Today, we’re examining a productivity hack called the Eisenhower Matrix, a framework designed to help you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance.
Developed by former President Dwight Eisenhower and made popular by Stephen Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, the Eisenhower Matrix is an effective way to take a snapshot of your workflow in order to efficiently prioritize and delegate.
The matrix consists of four quadrants: Do, Schedule, Delegate, and Delete
Let’s briefly go over each quadrant so you can be on your way to reclaiming your time.
Do (Urgent and Important)
This category is meant for tasks with clear deadlines and significant consequences if not completed in a timely fashion, such as:
- Following up on new leads
- Responding to client inquiries
- Conducting showings
Tip: A great way to make sure you execute on tasks in this category is to use the Pomodoro Technique, which uses a timer to break work into intervals of 25 minutes with short breaks in between.
Schedule (Not Urgent but Important)
These are the tasks without a set deadline but that bring you closer to your long-term goals, such as:
- Responding to social media comments
- Conducting research
- Updating your CRM
“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Delegate (Urgent but Not Important)
These are tasks that you could do yourself, but delegating them to an assistant or a team member means you can focus your attention on more important tasks. Examples include:
- Sharing social media content
- Answering non-urgent emails
- Screening cold leads
Delete (Not Urgent or Important)
This category is meant for tasks that distract you from your preferred course and don’t add any measurable value to your business, such as:
- Shopping online
- Mindless scrolling on social media
- Sifting through junk mail
As you can see, by following the Eisenhower Matrix, you can produce the most impactful work in the least amount of time while reducing stress and burnout.
