We’re just finishing up a classic four-square framework for a client—the ubiquitous diagram favored by MBAs where you place things along a two continuums, left-to-right and top-to-bottom, always aiming to direct the eye of your viewer to that enviable position of the upper right-hand quadrant. It’s popular because it’s good, and provides a clear method to quickly visualize a landscape of options based on a few key criteria. But like a good pop song, when you’ve heard it one too many times, the shine is off and it gets annoying (Hotline Bling, anyone?).
The exercise reminded me of my favorite four-square, one I always go back to when things get busy. The Eisenhower Decision Matrix reminds us to make sure we’re spending our precious time wisely, and getting the right things done. The truth is we all spend time in each quadrant and that’s not going to change, but like all things tempting, the skill is in the balance of not overindulging in any one quadrant. In general, we spend too much time in urgent/not-important (checking email on our phone as we walk to the bathroom) and not enough time in important/not-urgent (date night).
How do you parse your day?