An Outside idea : Prioritising tasks, how America’s 34th president had time for paint & golf
Dwight D. Eisenhower had an impressive portfolio. He served as a general in the US Army, as supreme commander of the allied forces in Western Europe during World War 2, as president of Columbia University, and as president of the United States, yet still found time to oil paint and play golf through prioritising tasks.
To make the most of his time, Eisenhower prioritised his tasks by urgency and importance.
According to Eisenhower, tasks in the first quadrant are to be given priority. Those in quadrant 2 are to be scheduled and completed as soon as possible, otherwise, they would end up in quadrant 1. Tasks in quadrant 3 are to be delegated and those in 4 can be ignored or slotted for your leisure time.
The purpose of a default diary is that you create a list of all the quadrant 2 activities that you would likely do on a day / week / month and then allocate a time to do them in your diary. These are your default tasks. You’ll want to work on them religiously and ensure they’re done in time so that they don’t become urgent.
You can download our handy how to create a default diary guide here.
My questions this week are:
– What are the important things that you need to do on a daily / weekly monthly basis?
– When would be the best time of the month to do them?
– Who is keeping you Accountable?
If you need support with growing your business, get in touch. At Outside ideas we’re on a mission to help people and businesses grow.
Onwards and upwards my friend.
X P
