How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix as a Prioritization and a Time Management Framework

Dina Osman — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 00:03:06 +0000

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

– Abraham Lincoln

It may seem counter-intuitive to dedicate time to learning about time management but the benefits are enormous. In a world of unlimited information, prioritisation became one of the most popular topics on business blogs and one of the most popular job interview questions. The reason is not all tasks are created equal. We all constantly create to-do lists, and then work on them in an indiscriminate order. As a result, we stay busy all day long but without achieving meaningful results.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was a productive guy. As Commander of the Allied Force in Europe during World War II he planned and supervised the successful invasion of Normandy. As the 34th president of the United States he launched DARPA and NASA. He was also the president of Columbia University and the first Supreme Commander of NATO. In a 1954 speech he said: “I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”

The priority quadrant or the Eisenhower Matrix is based on the urgent/important ratio and is one of the most popular time management frameworks in the world. It categorises tasks into 2 basic dimensions: time and priority.

Eisenhower quadrant categorizes tasks into one of four categories: do immediately, plan for later, delegate to someone else, and stop doing.

Using it is pretty simple: Pick an item from the to do list and classify it as urgent and important. Then place it in the correct quadrant.

Quadrant 1: Do first

The first quadrant is the “important and urgent”. These tasks both have high importance and urgency.

Focus on accomplishing these tasks first.

Examples: deadlines, crises and problems

Quadrant 2: Schedule

The second quadrant covers tasks that are important but not urgent. To avoid procrastination, decide when you will work on each task.

Set clear deadlines.

Examples: long-term planning, maintenance, education.

Quadrant 3: Delegate (Automate)

Typically, these are tasks which are unimportant but which do need to be done immediately.

Ask yourself the question if the task can only be carried out by you personally. If yes then it’s no different from quadrant 1. But if you can delegate or automate do so.

Examples: booking flights and hotels, tax returns, paying invoices, phone calls, text messages.

Quadrant 4: Do it later or eliminate

This Quadrant covers the lowest priority items.

These are the “not important and not urgent” tasks.

Examples: social media, playing video games, watching Netflix.

Best practices:

1. Use the magic of “NO”
Rejection is a big part of the filtering process. You will have to work on your rejection skills. Learn how to craft a polite emails letting people know that for now, you’re unable to help as you have far too many things on your plate.

2. Color code the matrix
Color coding each quadrant by priority level can help you quickly estimate what’s next on your list at a glance.

3. Limit each quadrant to 10 items max
A good rule of thumb is to focus on just 5 to 7 tasks in each category.
Too many items on your list can make it difficult to finish work on time and can cause task paralysis.

4. Separate personal and professional tasks
Consider separating your personal and work to-do lists.

The post How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix as a Prioritization and a Time Management Framework appeared first on 514Blog.

Top 7 Hot Fashion Spots Downtown Montreal

Dina Osman — Wed, 01 May 2019 16:43:24 +0000

Montreal is probably by far one of the most well-dressed cities in Canada. This city though has gone through a few losses in the last few years; losing Mango, Esprit, BCBG and other European brands. Even though Montreal fashion-lovers are safe, quality lovers have been struggling a tat. Quality clothing is rare to find and prices have gotten more expensive, even for Forever 21 and H&M; and while their quality isn’t that great, it’s slightly better than what it used to be 5 years ago. Given the unified theme in patterns and styles, standing out in Montreal is hard; when you walk down the streets during the summer (let’s be honest) – everyone is dressed the same. The real-deal fashionistas out there who are looking to combine European styles are probably wondering where to shop in Montreal to get the best styles, in the best quality and for the best value (well, you may need to splurge a bit more for better quality). Below is a list of Montreal’s most outstanding and reasonably priced stores in downtown.

COS

COS is the higher end of H&M and they nailed it! COS offers by far some of the best and timeless quality clothing you can find in Montreal. The store is spacious, well-organized and has just enough items that it isn’t overwhelming. Item prices though span between $80+.

Click Here: cosstores.com

Aritzia

This store has been open in Montreal for a few years now and people are still intimidated to walk in due to the prices, but compared to some of the prices at H&M, I find it reasonably priced on most items. The store has gained a lot of popularity in the last year due to the quality of their fabrics and their amazing cuts. Their clothes make people look on-point so effortlessly. I’ve never worn an item from there where people didn’t stop me to ask where I got it from, even when I was in the States.

Click Here: aritzia.com

Club Monaco

Oh, Club Monaco! How I love you. Classic, clean, incredibly pricy but items bought from there will never run out of style. Great place to shop if you’re willing to splurge and spend over $120 on an item. Not worth it for T-Shirts and other basics though.

Click Here: clubmonaco.ca

TopShop

I wish we had more Topshop in Montreal! Topshop is one of the most popular brands around the world. Their collection in Montreal is scarce in comparison to Toronto, but it’s a great place for denim and unique European styles. You can find Topshop in downtown Montreal at The Bay.

Click Here: topshop.com

Armani Exchange

You never find this store busy and it is a gold mine so as long as you avoid the graphic tees that have the AX brand logo on it. They have amazing skirts, pants and jackets that are truly statement pieces for your closet, not to mention that their basics and accessories are of good quality and price.

Click Here: armaniexchange.com/ca

Editorial

If you like Topshop, you’ll like Editorial. They have incredible clubber style pieces, albeit somewhat overpriced vis-a-vis the quality of some items. The good thing is they have a warehouse sale store right across the street from their main store

Zara

I didn’t want to add Zara to my list, since it’s one of the most painful shops to visit in Montreal, especially downtown. If there’s a business model for “how to lose sales,” check out (before checking out) the service challenged and organizationally suspect Zara Montreal downtown store. But to be completely fair, Zara has awesome pieces especially when it comes to shoes and bags. Want a DKNY looking shoe for $40 – Zara is the place to go.

Click Here: www.zara.com/ca

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