Simple plans are easier to follow. A short rule-of-thumb for prioritization. Classify each task as either Urgent/Not Urgent and Important/Unimportant.
- Urgent/Important – Do
- Urgent/Unimportant – Delegate
- Not Urgent/Important – Schedule
- Not Urgent/Unimportant – Drop
A rule easy enough to remember and apply in your head to quickly get a gist of what you should be working on.
The 2x2 matrix supposedly comes from a quote from former President Dwight Eisenhower,
I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.