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Welcome to another edition of the 1% Habits Newsletter!

This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on small wins to improve your habits, productivity, and life satisfaction. 

Let’s get to it…

📈 The Framework for Making Important Decisions

Ever feel like your to-do list is running your life?

I know I have.

There are times each year when the sheer volume of tasks becomes overwhelming – like right now.

As I’m trying to finalize a bunch of projects for Q4, the pressure is on.

This past weekend, feeling the weight of it all, I decided to do a simple exercise that will help identify my priorities.

This framework is a popular concept called the Eisenhower Matrix.

This simple yet powerful tool has been a game-changer for me. It helps bring clarity and focus to my chaotic list of tasks. By categorizing everything based on urgency and importance, I can prioritize effectively and take decisive action.

Whenever I’m swamped, the Eisenhower Matrix shows me the best way to move forward.

In today’s email, I’ll go over the basics of the Eisenhower Matrix and talk about how to apply it to your personal life.

(Here is our Eisenhower Matrix printable if you want to take action on this idea.)

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

Prior to becoming the 34th President of the US, Dwight Eisenhower served as a general in the army, and as the Allied Forces Supreme Commander during World War II.

During his time in the army, Eisenhower was faced with many tough decisions concerning the tasks he had to focus on every day. This led him to invent a principle that helps us prioritize our tasks by urgency and importance.

This Eisenhower matrix results in four quadrants with various strategies. Stephen Covey, the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, further popularized Eisenhower's concept of this time management matrix by supporting Eisenhower's use of four quadrants to determine the urgency of one's tasks.

Here is how the four quadrants work:

Quadrant 1: Do First

Quadrant 1 contains tasks that are both urgent and important. These are “do first” tasks because they are critical for your life or career in some way and need to be finished right away. You want to get these tasks done as soon as possible.

These are the tasks that need to be done in order to avoid negative consequences. It is important to be able to manage the tasks that are in quadrant 1.

Here are a few examples for both your professional or personal life:

● Attend a scheduled medical appointment.

● Pay the utility bill before the deadline today.

● Respond to an urgent email from a key client.

● Complete the Q4 financial report due tomorrow.

● Address a critical issue affecting a major project.

● Pick up a prescription that needs to be started immediately.

● Finalize the project proposal for the upcoming board meeting.

● Confirm your child's school enrollment before the cut-off date.

● Prepare for the client presentation scheduled for this afternoon.

● Call the mechanic to fix your car, which broke down this morning.

Quadrant 2: Decide When

The tasks in quadrant 2 are important, but not urgent. This is where you want to invest the majority of your time. Quadrant 2 tasks are in line with your long-term goals.

What are some examples of these tasks?

Here are a few:

● Start a regular exercise routine.

● Schedule a routine health check-up.

● Read a book related to your industry.

● Create a meal plan for healthier eating.

● Plan a family vacation for next summer.

● Organize and declutter your home office.

● Set up a monthly budget and savings plan.

● Attend a professional development workshop.

● Develop a long-term career development plan.

● Research new software tools to improve productivity.

It is important to remember here that everyone has different goals and objectives, so just because something falls into quadrant 2 for you, it may not for the next person.

Also, just because these tasks are not urgent does not mean that they are not important. People often associate urgent matters with being important, which is not always true. Because your goals will stay constant, anything that will be beneficial to you in the long term will fall into the second quadrant.

Quadrant 3: Delegate It

The tasks in quadrant 3 are not important, but urgent.

Do you ever feel that you put too much importance on a task that in hindsight was not very important? Or think something has to be done right away, and it actually doesn't?

If so, you are in good company.

This common mistake often occurs when someone asks you to do something that does not directly benefit you or get you closer to achieving your goals. For quadrant 3 tasks, it is important to learn and remember how to delegate certain things.

When you think something is urgent but it actually is not, it is usually an outside source of distraction.

Here are some examples:

● Water the plants.

● Order office supplies.

● Handle minor technical issues.

● File paperwork and documents.

● Run errands like grocery shopping.

● Respond to routine customer inquiries.

● Confirm attendance for a non-critical meeting.

● Arrange meeting logistics and send out invites.

● Update social media accounts with routine posts.

● Schedule routine maintenance for office equipment.

Just remember that many things seem urgent at the time while it is happening, but these little things can be handled by other people.

Quadrant 4: Delete It

The tasks in quadrant 2 are not important and not urgent.

Honestly, you want to avoid quadrant 4 tasks.

These tasks are simply a waste of your time, and they should be eliminated. If you are able to identify and eliminate all of your quadrant 4 tasks, you will free up some much-needed time to invest in your quadrant 2 tasks.

● Engaging in office gossip.

● Mindlessly scrolling through social media.

● Reading gossip columns or celebrity news.

● Checking emails or messages obsessively.

● Participating in unproductive online debates.

● Playing mobile games that consume too much time.

● Browsing online shopping sites without intent to buy.

● Watching TV shows you're not genuinely interested in.

● Attending meetings without a clear purpose or agenda.

● Over-organizing or over-planning tasks that don't add value.

Does that mean nothing in quadrant 4 should be a part of your life?

No.

Having a balance between your professional and personal life is important, and downtime helps you regain your energy. The challenge here is to spend most of your time in quadrant 2, and just enough time in quadrant 4 to get by.

How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix

To see if you are spending the bulk of your time in the first two quadrants, do a one-week assessment.

1. Prepare Your Grids: Make six copies of the Eisenhower Matrix—one for each weekday and one for a summary. Label each grid with the day of the week.
   

2. Daily Tracking: Each day, list the tasks you accomplished or the activities you did in the appropriate quadrant of that day’s grid. Be sure to note the time spent on each task. For example:

○ Quadrant 1: Important and Urgent

○ Quadrant 2: Important but Not Urgent

○ Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important

○ Quadrant 4: Not Urgent and Not Important

3. Detail Your Entries: Be specific about the tasks and the time spent. For instance, instead of just writing "emails," specify "responded to urgent client emails – 30 minutes."
   

4. End-of-Day Reflection: At the end of each day, briefly reflect on your entries. Did you spend more time in Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 3 than you expected? Were there tasks in Quadrant 4 that could have been eliminated?
   

5. Weekly Summary: At the end of the week, combine the Monday-Friday data onto your sixth summary grid. Calculate the total time spent in each quadrant over the week.
   

6. Percentage Breakdown: Break down the total time spent in each quadrant into percentages. For example, if you spent 10 hours on Quadrant 1 tasks and your total tracked time was 50 hours, then 20% of your time was spent in Quadrant 1.
   

7. Evaluate Effectiveness: Evaluate how effectively you spent your time. Are you dedicating enough time to Quadrant 2 activities, which contribute to long-term goals and personal growth? Are there too many tasks in Quadrant 3 that could be delegated or in Quadrant 4 that should be eliminated?
   

8. Reorganize Your Process: Based on your assessment, reorganize your process. Aim to spend more time on Quadrant 2 activities, which are important but not urgent. These tasks often prevent crises and help you achieve long-term goals. Consider strategies to minimize time spent on Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4 tasks.
   

9. Implement Changes: Make the necessary changes to your workflow. This might involve delegating more tasks, setting clearer priorities, or eliminating time-wasting activities.
   

10. Ongoing Adjustments: Regularly revisit and adjust your Eisenhower Matrix to ensure you are continuously improving your time management and focusing on what truly matters.

By following these steps, you can gain a clearer understanding of how you allocate your time and make more intentional decisions to enhance your productivity and well-being.

⚙️1% Habit Idea

Today’s provides a simple way to automate many of the tasks discussed in Quadrant 3.

If most of your work is through a computer, then you probably complete numerous small tasks that kill your productivity.

Sure, each activity might only take a minute or two, but when you add them all up, the results are a significant loss of your work efficiency.

This is time that could be spent on high-value tasks or simply more time you could spend with your family. That’s why you should consider automating certain parts of your workflow with apps like IFTTT and Zapier.

The purpose of IFTTT and Zapier is to create automated rules between two pieces of technology that you frequently use. (IFTTT calls them recipes and Zapier calls them Zaps.)

The goal here is to automate all those small tasks that you do daily, which will free up your time to focus on the important things.

How to Get Started

This is an ongoing task where it’ll take weeks, and sometimes even months, to fully automate your life. Actually, this can be addictive because you’ll start to think of all sorts of activities that can be automated.

My suggestion is to set aside a few hours to jot down all the small tasks and activities that you do every day. Be as thorough as possible because you might find a Zap or recipe that can automate these processes.

After completing this list, your small action is to pick one activity that can be automated.

I’d recommend getting started with IFTTT first (since it’s 100% free). But if you can’t find a recipe for a regular task, then it could be found on Zapier.

🗂️ The Resource Roundup

🧠 83 Years of YouTube Knowledge in 2 Hours and 39 Minutes - Ever wondered what it really takes to build a successful YouTube channel? This video breaks down everything from essential growth strategies to advanced tips on crafting engaging content, analyzing performance, and monetizing your channel—perfect for anyone serious about growing their YouTube presence.

☘️ Lucky vs. Repeatable - Ever wondered what separates fleeting success from lasting achievements? This article dives into the difference between luck and repeatable skills, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to build a sustainable path to success.

🧘 The Case for Slowing Down - Feeling overwhelmed by the pace of life? This article makes a compelling case for slowing down, offering insights on how embracing a calmer approach can lead to greater clarity, productivity, and well-being.

📈 5 Limiting Beliefs of Anxious High-Achievers - Ever feel like your own thoughts are the biggest obstacle to your success? This article reveals five limiting beliefs that often trap high achievers in cycles of anxiety, offering clear strategies to replace them with healthier, more empowering mindsets.

📱 The Dao of Using Your Smartphone - Ever wondered if there’s a better way to use your smartphone without feeling overwhelmed? This article explores a mindful approach to smartphone use, inspired by Daoist philosophy, and offers thoughtful strategies for reclaiming peace and purpose in our digital lives.

That’s it for today.

I hope you have a great start to your week!

Cheers,

Steve Scott