A simple way to enhance your productivity at work

Have you found yourself completely overwhelmed, knee deep in work with not enough time to complete everything you want and unsure where to even start?

Here is a simple way to enhance your productivity at work that we have begun to implement in our own offices.

The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix originates from Wright D. Eisenhower and can help you to address one of the biggest challenges we face today in prioritizing work.

This one time management process answers the questions of what task you should do first, how much time you should allocate to the one task and whether this task will help in moving you to where you want to go (the end goal).

Sounds pretty revolutionary right?

Below you’ll find a 4 square grid with an axis that indicates how urgent the task is and of what importance.

Allocating your tasks at the beginning of the week to each square will help to inform your time planning and increase your level of productivity.

Quadrant #1: Not Urgent but important:

• Complete these to reach your goal. These are the actionable steps to your goal.
• Allow time to do these in your weekly calendar or they will move to quadrant #1
• Assign a completion date to each task.

Quadrant #2: Urgent and Important:

• Items you must do – A priority
• Those that have been left to the last minute
• Focus on these first.

Quadrant #3: Not urgent and Not Important:

• Distractions, distractions, distractions
• Simplify, Ignore or decline the request.

Quadrant #4: Urgent but not important:

• Items here are stopping you from getting your work done.
• Delegate them.
• Leave for future when there are no further important tasks.

With this simple way of managing your time, you’ll be able to focus more on what is important and prioritize the tasks that will help you to reach your goals and objectives.

At the end of the week, be sure to schedule some time to reflect in your diary.

Ask yourself what went well, did you complete your important tasks and where do you need to improve.

By reflecting at the end of each week, you give yourself the opportunity to keep your weekend worry-free and start Monday full of clarity and focus.

Click here to download the MATRIX Chart above and place it somewhere in your office to remind you of these principles.