There are many different frameworks that you can use to prioritize the many different demands asked of you. The one highlighted below is the Eisenhower Matrix, after former U.S President and WWII hero Dwight Eisenhower who once commented that he had two dimensions of problems: urgency and importance, implying that the important are never urgent and the urgent are rarely significant. The table below lays out the four dimensions of the matrix and the associated action steps. The value here is getting only those things into the top line that meet the existential criteria for your priority action. It will take the full measure of resources to be successful, it needs to be as focused as possible.

But the question remains, how do I know which priorities belong in which box.

There are four general rules to follow:

1. Get as many things as possible into the elimination box and manage whatever the fall out using these tools for managing and simplifying.

2. Move things out of the Urgent and Important box by delegating to another team or someone on your team or by satisfying by completing in a satisfactory or acceptable manner, not an optimal response.

3. Set a priority list within the Urgent and Important box that balances the relative strategic value with political demands and realities. And be ready to adjust as both landscapes change.

4. Invest what resources remain, essential your and other’s time, for investment in the Important, but Not Urgent quadrant. These activities include developing individuals and teams so more and more effective delegation can take place; building new partnerships and relationships around common ground so that shared goals can be more broadly resourced, and trust can make the work more effective; leading up so that your work can be seen and valued for is strategic contribution to the organization; improving systems so that work can be done more effectively and efficiently.

But even with the rules in hand it may still be difficult to know or weigh the relative value of work when compared with other tasks. Here is an exercise to use to develop a better lens for evaluation.

Priority Lens

Getting some candidates for triage to elimination, delegation satisfaction, or redesign can be an extremely valuable way to free up time and create resources for essential priorities and high value development.

First make a list of every activity that you spend more than half an hour on a specific day.

Now for each task score them using the following four questions:

1. How valuable is this activity to my organization? Is it something that I would bring to the attention of those above me? Does it have value two levels up and three years out? Is this something that I feel responsible for steering to completion?

4 – It makes a significant contribution to the overall work of the organization

3 – It contributes, but in a small manner or limited manner

2 – It neither contributes nor detracts from the overall goals

1 – It makes a negative impact

2. Can you let this task go? If you just lost half of the time in your day to a non-negotiable change in your professional or personal life, how would you triage this specific task?

4 – Essential: do this before anything else

3 – Important: needs to be done by end of the day

2 – Discretionary: Next on list after essential and important are done

1- Optional: Nice to do, but can let it go without much thought or consideration

3. How much satisfaction do you derive from doing this task?

5 – This is what makes my work worthwhile

4 – I enjoy doing this part of my work

3 – Good and bad

2 – This task is a bit boring

1 – I dislike doing this work

4. Can someone else do this?

4 – Only a seasoned person with specific skills, experience and context can do this work

3– I do this better than others

2 – Others could do this with the right hand-off

1 – Easy task to pass to someone junior

0 – We really do not need to be doing this task at all

If the item has a score of ten or less, move it to either the Eliminate or Reduce box on the bottom row and take care of it appropriately. If the item is more than 10 but less than thirteen it is a lower priority in the Urgent and Important box. More than 13 move it to the right priority in the top row.