BAUU 14 - How To Seize Lifetime Value With Eisenhower Hack 5.0

Edition 14 - How To Seize Lifetime Value With Eisenhower Hack 5.0

This edition explores the timeless Eisenhower Matrix tool reimagined for today's complex lifestyles.

The format for Edition 14 is:

• Problem
• TL;DR Solution – Eisenhower 1.0
• TL;DR Solution – Eisenhower 5.0
• Try This
• It’s a Wrap

If you have a problem you want a TL;DR solution, let’s hear about it in the comments.

"What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important."(Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Problem

The traditional Eisenhower Matrix (also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix) is excellent for categorising tasks based on urgency and importance.

• Urgent activities demand immediate attention and are often associated with achieving someone else’s goals
• Important tasks lead you to achieve your goals

Typically, we treat work and personal life separately, resulting in two matrices.

How can we simultaneously adapt this tool to manage both, ensuring our daily efforts contribute to a harmonious and fulfilling life??

"Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action." (Tim Ferris)

TL;DR Solution – Eisenhower 1.0

The matrix has four quadrants:

1. Urgent and Important (Do It Now): Critical tasks with pressing deadlines that have significant consequences if not addressed promptly.
2. Not Urgent but Important (Schedule It): Important for achieving long-term goals but no pressing deadlines. Schedule and dedicate time to ensure completion.
3. Urgent but Not Important (Delegate It): Time-sensitive but don’t necessarily need your personal attention. Delegate to others or deal with them quickly to avoid them becoming a distraction.
4. Not Urgent and Not Important (Delete It): Neither urgent nor important should be eliminated. Distractions/time-wasters that do not contribute to your goals.

Eisenhower 1.0 Examples:

1. Quadrant 1: Responding to a client emergency or meeting a project deadline.
2. Quadrant 2: Developing a new skill through training or planning a future project.
3. Quadrant 3: Answering non-critical emails that could be handled by an assistant.
4. Quadrant 4: Browsing social media or attending unnecessary meetings.

Typically, we do one for work and one for personal use. However, with all the busyness, how do we prioritise between them?

"Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things." (Peter Drucker)

TL;DR Solution – Eisenhower 5.0

To make this tool even more effective, we refine the Importance criterion to incorporate personal values and long-term goals.

This enhancement does not alter the Urgency aspect but deepens the Importance of evaluation to ensure tasks reflect what truly matters to you beyond immediate business outcomes.

Apply the refined matrix by assessing the importance of tasks by:

• their impact on immediate business success.
• How well do they resonate with your deeper personal values and long-term goals?

This holistic approach ensures that your prioritisation process is more meaningful and aligned with your overall life strategy.

3 Steps:

1. Create a combined matrix: Instead of maintaining two separate matrices, create a single matrix that includes work and personal tasks.
2. Categorise tasks: Place each task into one of the four quadrants based on its urgency and importance, regardless of whether it's a work or personal task.
3. Take each of the four quadrants in order and evaluate their impact on your core values and life goals. Some tasks may be reclassified as their importance changes with this new perspective. Within any quadrant, you’ll be able to rank the priority, too.

Eisenhower 5.0 Examples:

Quadrant 1 - Urgent and Important (Do It Now):

Work: Completing a critical project report due tomorrow that impacts your team's performance and your career growth.

Personal: Attending your child's graduation ceremony, which aligns with your value of family and being present for important milestones.

Resolution: Prioritise both tasks by diligently working on the report during work hours and ensuring you attend the graduation ceremony. If needed, communicate with your manager about the personal commitment and work extra hours to complete the report on time or ask for an extension of the deadline.

Quadrant 2 - Not Urgent but Important (Schedule It):

Work: Develop a new skill to enhance your job performance and contribute to your long-term career goals.

Personal: Maintaining a regular exercise routine to improve your health and well-being, which aligns with your value of self-care.

Resolution: Schedule dedicated time for both skill development and exercise. Block off time in your calendar for learning and attending relevant training sessions, and prioritise your exercise routine as a non-negotiable part of your day.

Quadrant 3 - Urgent but Not Important (Delegate It):

Work: Responding to a colleague's request for help with a task that doesn't directly impact your work or goals.

Personal: Attending a social event you feel obligated to attend doesn't align with your values or interests.

Resolution: Evaluate the consequences of not completing these tasks. If possible, delegate the work task to someone else or provide quick guidance. Politely decline the social event, prioritizing your time for activities that align with your values and goals.

Quadrant 3 - Not Urgent and Not Important (Delete / Eliminate It):

Work: Spending excessive time on low-priority emails or administrative tasks that don't contribute to your core responsibilities.

Personal: Engaging in social media scrolling or watching television shows that don't contribute to your personal growth or relaxation.

Resolution: Minimise or eliminate these tasks. Set boundaries around your work and personal time, and consciously limit activities that don't align with your values or contribute to your goals. Use the time saved for more meaningful work or personal pursuits.

In each quadrant, the lens of personal values and life goals helps re-prioritise and resolve conflicts between work and personal tasks. By aligning tasks with your core values and long-term objectives, you can make informed decisions about where to focus your time and energy. Remember, the goal is to strike a balance that allows you to meet your responsibilities and progress towards your work and personal aspirations while maintaining overall well-being.?

"Balancing work and life is not about prioritising one over the other but finding harmony between the two." (Rick Yvanovich)

Try This

1. Reflect on your core values and long-term goals: Take some time to identify what truly matters to you professionally and personally. Write down your top 3-5 values and goals.
2. Create your combined Eisenhower Matrix: List all your work and personal tasks.
3. Evaluate each task through your core values and goals lens. Reclassify and reprioritise.
4. Prioritize and act based on the matrix.
5. Review and adjust regularly:

• End of Day (5-10 minutes): Celebrate wins, identify challenges, and set next-day goals.
• Weekly (15-30 minutes): Reflect on progress, reassess priorities, and plan for the week ahead.

"Action expresses priorities." (Mahatma Gandhi)

It’s a Wrap

That's it for today, see you next week.

Comment, follow, like, and share this Newsletter.

As always, be happy, healthy, joyful and wealthy.

/Rick

#BusinessAsUnUsual #BAUU #BAUUnewsletter #EisenhowerMatrix #ProductivityHacks #WorkLifeBalance #BAUU #LeadershipDevelopment #TimeManagement #Productivity #PersonalDevelopment

This edition aligns with "Business As UnUsual: How to Thrive in the New Renaissance."

Get your copy for more on thriving in uncertainty here https://www.rickyvanovich.com/books/bauu-book-series/ ??

Prioritisation is one of the Time Management Masterclasses of Human Skills Mastery. Check it out. https://www.humanskillsmastery.com/courses/hs-1-time-management-prioritisation