How To Master Your Productivity

Let’s face it—being a solopreneur means juggling a million tasks and feeling like there’s never enough time in the day. Sound familiar? I constantly face the battle of which task should I handle first and then of course make a decision by start ingseveral of them at the same time and get none completed by the end of the day.

Mastering Productivity: How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix to Get More Done

That’s where the Eisenhower Matrix comes in. It’s a super simple way to sort through your to-do list, focus on what actually matters, and ditch the time-wasting fluff. Let’s break it down so you can start using it today.

What’s the Eisenhower Matrix All About?

This tool is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th U.S. President, who famously said:

“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”

In essence, it’s a way to figure out what tasks deserve your attention and what can wait (or go away altogether). Here’s how it works:

Important & Urgent (Do First): Stuff that’s both crucial and time-sensitive—think last-minute deadlines or emergencies.
Important & Not Urgent (Plan): Big-picture tasks that matter but don’t need to be done right now—like goal setting or learning something new.
Not Important & Urgent (Delegate): Tasks that someone else could handle, even if they’re time-sensitive.
Not Important & Not Urgent (Eliminate): The time-wasters. You know, like endlessly scrolling LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram or Facebook when you should be working.

How to Make It Work for You

Step 1: Brain Dump Your Tasks

Grab a piece of paper or open a notes app or a tablet like reMarkable and jot down everything you need to do. Don’t overthink it—just get it all out of your head.

Step 2: Sort Your List

Go through each task and decide which of the four categories it belongs in:

Important & Urgent: These are your must-dos. Stuff like client crises or meeting deadlines.
Important & Not Urgent: Schedule these tasks so you don’t forget about them. Think long-term goals or projects.
Not Important & Urgent: If it’s urgent but not worth your time, hand it off if you can.
Not Important & Not Urgent: Cross these off your list and don’t look back.

Step 3: Take Action

Once you’ve sorted everything, here’s how to tackle it:

Do First: Knock these out ASAP—they’re priority #1.
Plan: Add these to your calendar so they don’t fall through the cracks.
Delegate: Pass these on to someone else. Virtual assistants are a lifesaver here.
Eliminate: Let these go. Trust me, you won’t miss them.

A Day in the Life with the Eisenhower Matrix

Let’s say you’ve got a packed day. Here’s how your matrix might look:

Important & Urgent: Finish a proposal for a client by 5 PM.
Important & Not Urgent: Plan your marketing strategy for next quarter.
Not Important & Urgent: Respond to routine emails (perfect for a virtual assistant).
Not Important & Not Urgent: Spend an hour organizing your old files (seriously, let it go).

By focusing on what really matters, you’ll feel way more productive and less stressed.

Tips to Stay on Track

Review Often: Check in with your matrix daily or weekly to keep it fresh.
Group Tasks: If you’ve got similar tasks in one quadrant, tackle them together.
Keep It Real: Don’t get sucked into urgent-but-not-important tasks.

Handy Tools to Help

Templates: Want a quick way to get started? Use this to re-create on your notes App, in reMarkable or on paper.

Apps: Try tools like Trello, Asana, or Todoist to organize your tasks digitally.

The Eisenhower Matrix isn’t just about getting stuff done—it’s about getting the right stuff done. Once you start using it, you’ll see how much time you’ve been wasting on things that don’t matter. Try it out for a day or a week and see how it feels. Chances are, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Photo by Andreas Klassen on Unsplash