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These activities distract you from the tasks that matter, waste your time without adding any value. The tasks in the fourth quadrant are neither urgent nor important. Not doing it now doesn’t have any immediate consequences.The characteristics of tasks in the second quadrant are as follows: Working on improving your professional/soft skills.Here are a few examples of tasks that fall under quadrant 2: Interestingly, this is the most crucial quadrant and also the most ignored. Yet, you procrastinate them thinking you’ll start in the future and settle in the comfort zone in the present. Working on your tasks in quadrant 2 has all the long term benefits. They do not have any deadline and you have the liberty to decide when to start and finish them. The tricky part, however, is that since such tasks are not urgent, they take a backseat. Tasks related to long-term goals, growth opportunities, and personal development fall right into this area. The tasks in the second quadrant are important, but not urgent. Related article: Most common time management problems with solutions The 4 quadrants of the Eisenhower matrix 1. The Eisenhower matrix helps you keep your eye on your long term goals without compromising on what’s important at the moment. But tomorrow turns out no different than today was and the plan to achieve your long-term goals becomes a neverending cycle of procrastination.

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Even if you find some spare time later in the day, you morally license yourself to postpone the task because you’ve decided to start a new life the next day. So, you make a plan to start afresh the next day, come what may. You find yourself forced to work on what’s important right now instead of focusing on what’s important for your long term goals.Īs hours go by, you digest the fact that you no longer have the time to accomplish whatever you set out to in the morning. But as you proceed with your day, various distractions and interferences consume your time and attention. Like William, you begin with a top-notch plan to knock things off the park.

Quadrant 4 – Not urgent and not important – Tasks you must reduce or eliminate.

Quadrant 3 – Urgent but not important – Tasks you must delegate, outsource, automate.

Quadrant 2 – Not urgent but important – Tasks you must schedule time for.

Quadrant 1 – Urgent and important – Tasks you must work on immediately.

By dividing your tasks into 4 quadrants as shown below, you can simplify the decisions you have to make. The Eisenhower matrix is a time management technique to organize all your tasks and take action.

The 4 quadrants of the Eisenhower matrix.