Prioritize Tasks With Sticky Notes and Masking Tape
Prioritizing what you do when everything matters is not an easy task, but the Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a great way to do it. Chris S. Penn took this idea and turned it into a simple grid, which he hung on the wall behind him while he worked, spread out with sticky notes for his to-do and duct tape to keep everything in place. This is how it works.
Chris describes how it all works in the video above, but if you are familiar with the Eisenhower Matrix, you will understand how it works at a glance. Important tasks that are also urgent are placed in the upper left corner, and important tasks that are not urgent – because they do not need to be completed immediately – in the upper right corner. Less important tasks that are urgent (for example, they are not critical, but have a time limit) are displayed in the lower left corner, while tasks that are neither important nor urgent (but still need to be completed eventually) are in the lower right corner. He uses sticky notes for every task, so he can quickly move them around if priorities change or something arises.
The beauty of Chris’s particular setup, though, is that the masking tape is easy to stick on (and remove if needed) and the sticky notes stick to the wall without damage and can be easily moved around. It’s analog, but it works like a charm and you don’t have to spend a ton of time typing tasks into the system or copy / paste to move things around. It’s an easy-to-use system and all you need is a piece of wall for it to work. Click on the link below to find out more.
How to Manage Your Workflow Using Notes | Christopher S. Penn