Eisenhower Matrix 2
tasks that are
important but not urgent
SCHEDULE

These are things that bring you closer to your goal but have no deadline. And as such, they are easy to procrastinate on as no one is breathing down your neck, demanding immediate action.

This is the "Quadrant of Quality" where you don’t focus on problems but on opportunities and growth. You are proactive and prioritize things that take you closer to meaningful goals. When you have blocked time in advance to do these things, you are free of distractions and can do “deep work”. Time spent doing these tasks increases your effectiveness in the long run - when you do these tasks systematically and early enough to stop them from becoming urgent. You would like to have most of your tasks to be in this quadrant.

Really good time managers leave only a few things unplanned and manage most of their work from this quadrant. So when a new task jumps to the fore, see immediately if you could schedule it to a time slot in the future and block that time slot into your calendar. And speaking from experience: schedule more time than you think a task takes. We have a tendency to see ourselves as more efficient than we actually are - so if you think a task takes half an hour, schedule at least 10 minutes extra for it.

In your everyday life these tasks could be regular chores and maintenance at home. Also learning a new skill. You may need to keep up with research, plan a routine of exercise and routine healthcare.

Decide when you will work on these goals. Set clear deadlines for them, divide the goal into smaller activities and tasks and write / colour code them into your calendar. Make sure you plan enough time for these, to prevent them from becoming urgent. Also remember unexpected problems may arise, so block some extra “free” time for these.

Try picking up 2-3 tasks from this quadrant per day.

This is also the quadrant of things that improve your well-being. Self-care, relaxation, exercise, personal goals. And this includes your personal relationships with your family and friends. This may include journaling, reading novels, planning time to spend alone with your significant other, and also weekly planning. Don’t make the mistake of waiting for your busy schedule to ease up to give you more time in this quadrant as that might never happen.

If you don’t purposefully make time for your wellness, you’ll wake up one to see you haven’t manage to do it at all. This quadrant is crucial for your own health and mental well-being.

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