The Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritizing Tasks with ADHD

Trouble knowing where to begin. Does your ADHD get in the way of your short-and long-term goals? If you have ADHD, it is important that you make the abstract concrete. Put it down on paper. But then what? What do you do when you have to-do lists miles long and you seem unable to get anything done, you need to turn to your organizational tools and start prioritizing to meet your goals. The Eisenhower Matrix can help you create and implement a plan, to go from someone who thinks about their tasks to someone who completes their tasks.

The Eisenhower Matrix is an organizational tool that can bolster your decision-making – planning, prioritizing, delegating, and scheduling. The matrix was first created by Dwight D. Eisenhower to help him prioritize urgent and important tasks in the army and in the oval office. The Eisenhower Matrix can be a key tool for your planning too. Let’s break down the matrix’s four quadrants:

• Quadrant 1: Urgent & Important Tasks

• Quadrant 2: Not Urgent & Important Tasks

• Quadrant 3: Urgent & Not Important Tasks

• Quadrant 4: Not Urgent & Not Important Tasks

Let’s begin with definitions. What is urgent? And what is important? Most urgent tasks can feel universal (although with ADHD that may not feel like it is always the case), whereas most important tasks are subjective and depend on your personal goals and values. Urgent tasks are ones that demand our attention immediately. For example, meeting a client’s deadline or paying bills on time. And important tasks are those that contribute to our long-term goals and values. For example, succeeding in your career or living a healthier life. Now let’s break down further the quadrants.     

Photo Credit: https://blog.teaminator.io/beyond-eisenhower-matrix

Quadrant 1: Urgent & Important Tasks

Do it - these are tasks that should be completed immediately. They have clear deadlines and clear consequences for missing those deadlines. These tasks take priority over other tasks. Some examples of quadrant one tasks; you are assigned a last-minute deadline, you get an urgent email from a client, you must pick up your sick child from school. They often come from external factors, and if they are the sole focus of our day (and week) they can lead to burnout and high-stress levels. We should not spend all day in quadrant one, just like we should not spend all day in quadrant four.

Quadrant 2: Not Urgent & Important

Schedule it – these are tasks that are not urgent but are important and help you achieve your long-term goals. These tasks may not have a deadline, so they can be easily put off for quadrant one tasks. Especially for individuals with ADHD, these tasks may never get completed, which has the greatest negative impact on your long-term effectiveness and reaching your goals. Some examples are professional networking, exercise/meditation routines, and planning for short-term projects. This quadrant is where you focus on opportunities and growth. By consistently focusing on quadrant two you are working towards accomplishing meaningful life goals and dealing with fewer quadrant one issues since you are planning ahead.

Quadrant 3: Urgent & Not Important

Delegate it – these are tasks that should be delegated to someone else or automated. These tasks are generally busy work and do not move you towards your goals. Oftentimes these unimportant tasks are urgent because they are based on assumed deadlines or someone else’s priorities. These tasks are often tricky, as they can appear to be quadrant one tasks, but often they are distractions or other people’s responsibility. For example, checking your phone immediately when it has a notification, grocery shopping, and/or certain meetings.  Some of these tasks can be delegated or automated; only checking your phone at specific intervals during the day, getting your groceries delivered, having someone else take notes at the meeting. If these tasks cannot be delegated, make sure to keep them time-bound and limited.  

Quadrant 4: Not Urgent & Not Important

Delete it - Tasks that should be deleted. These activities are wasting your time, from watching TV for hours to mindlessly scrolling social media. These tasks often drain your battery, so take them out of your life. This does not mean taking leisure out of your life, but rather making leisure intentional so that it is enjoyable and charging your battery.

After learning about the Eisenhower Matrix, you may be curious about how to re-balance your matrix or how to break down your tasks into important and not important categories. If you want to learn more about how to implement the Eisenhower Matrix and focus on overcoming the challenges that your ADHD presents, book an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Rebecca Branda, Psy.D. today.