A productive routine to practice everyday as part of your time management is the Eisenhower Box. Yes, the tool is associated with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a master organizer. He held a tight rein on his time and tasks throughout his career. He was a five-star general, commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during WWII, and the 34th President of the United States.

President Eisenhower determined that each task is either important or urgent. He would then focus on those tasks that are important, but not urgent. Brett and Kate McKay explain this productivity concept in the following article.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix: How To Distinguish Between Urgent And Important Tasks | The Art Of Manliness

Do you sometimes feel like you spend all your time managing crises? That your life is basically spent putting out one proverbial fire after another? Then you, my friend, are probably confusing the urgent with the important. Read more…

Productive Quadrants

Here’s a quick summary of each quadrant:

Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important Tasks
Quadrant 2: Not Urgent but Important Tasks
Quadrant 3: Urgent and Not Important Tasks
Quadrant 4: Not Urgent and Not Important Tasks

You might check out what you do throughout a week and place your tasks in one of the quadrants. Your review will help ensure that you are working on those things that have a long-term worth or contribute to your happiness and growth.

Successful people schedule the “important but not urgent” tasks into their day. For example, current U.S. President Barack Obama dines with his family when he’s in the White House. He also has made exercise a key part of his day and works out for an hour every morning.

This quote may help you let go of those tasks that are not productive:

What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.
~Dwight Eisenhower