How to Get More Done and Waste Less Time

Struggling to prioritize and make decisions? The Eisenhower Method can help.
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[@Inerize]

What I found very useful is to schedule my day the night before and block social media until 8PM. It makes me feel disciplined and achieve way more stuff than before.

[@dulce654]

@@dh_909 What app do you use to Block your social media app for a certain period of time (like you do, from 9am to 11 pm)?

[@vish4544]

@@dulce654 if you're on android there's an app called 'app block' with a blue shield icon, that one worked the best for me. I don't really use it anymore, will have to get back into my schedule soon.

[@AdamKayce]

Dulce Miranda the Freedom app is a good one, and so are Focus, StayFocused, etc.

[@DeanaDuquesne]

@@dulce654 I use AppDetox. It has multiple options to block app usage. 👍🏼

[@unclerandy398]

thanks im stealing this

[@AuthenticSelfGrowth]

I think many of us are experts at being busy but not necessarily productive lol

[@o.602]

i second this.

[@Zetsuke4]

Anyone else not busy nor productive??

[@milibres3593]

I am neither.

[@tmissyjeogiyomuljomjuseyo1992]

You couldn’t have said it better👏🏾

[@BronxFinest2481]

WORD!

[@hajnalkamolnar5427]

My therapist taught me this method 2 years ago and I forgot it. Now I need it so badly, and you just uploaded this video. Magic.

[@rangv733]

Therapist for what if you don't mind me asking?

[@ArberAboow]

Dude, you look so much happier, healthier as well as relaxed. Keep up the hustle. I do really appreciate your work.

[@mikequist1]

I use the Eisenhower Matrix when I assign priorities in Todoist: Red flag = Urgent and important; Orange flag = Important but not urgent; Blue flag = Urgent but not important; Transparent flag = Neither urgent or important.

[@cellocoversimprov5660]

I was about to comment suggesting this

[@HSQRA]

You’re the only “content creator”, whose sponsorship ads are genuinely convincing.

[@karalynnn8492]

I'm about to start trying this method out. With someone who struggles with terrible ADHD, I'm fully capable of sitting down and making a to-do list...but actually putting them into action and physically staying on track throughout the day without getting distracted or pulled into doing something else is the hardest most frustrating part.

[@TinyMedicine]

One strategy I use is setting goals at the beginning of the day. The sense of accomplishment is priceless, when I finish them all. Of course, you need to be realistic when setting the goals.

[@SamBarvels]

Thanks for the video. As someone who is trying to get back into school, trying to play guitar each and every day, read, lose weight, and be a better man in general, I really like all the productivity videos you upload. Admittedly, I get easily distracted by my phone and social media and I never want to do any of the things that a better suited for my time. Having a structured plan for my day might help me. I never planned out my day or anything so this will be a brand new experience for me. Thanks again!

[@HumansOfVR]

I learned this concept of focusing on what's *_IMPORTANT & NOT URGENT_* when you have the time to do so. It's a powerful way to spend your time productively

[@DamonLeeK]

I first learnt about this in Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It has helped me so much. Great video Thomas 👏

[@jamalbaker4423]

I have to pee urgently, but my math test is more important, so I delegated the task to my little brother who kindly went pee for me.

[@Thomasfrank]

IQ 9000

[@curiewilhelm5062]

cool

[@Zetsuke4]

Wrong, peeing is more urgent than studying.

[@teemo2901]

Let your little brother study for you

[@mrwaytoofly1]

So nice of him

[@osse1n]

*Learn the difference between important and URGENT* Makes life 10x easier

[@Baybarstsk]

whats the difference

[@73cidalia]

Ultrabars/ UBHD Some examples (not the best maybe): Spending time with my kids is important. It’s not always urgent. Putting my clothes in the dryer by a certain time can be urgent but not the most important thing. Other tasks can be both important and urgent.

[@Baybarstsk]

@@73cidalia ou okey thx for examples btw srry can't speak english very well haha😅

[@73cidalia]

Ultrabars/ UBHD No problem. Maybe you can find a video on KZbin in your language that has good examples. 🙂

[@Baybarstsk]

@@73cidalia nope english is my favourite language. want to speak like a real england boy. it so awesome if I see an england boy speaking english it sounds like a song for my eyes haha

[@SoumilSahu]

My second year of college starts on Monday. I'm gonna watch your videos again and this time, I'll try to implement your tips more effectively

[@HumansOfVR]

*_Those Skillshare transitions_* are as smooth as ever thomas

[@TheRealDoctorBonkus]

As a normal student without the biggest financial means or my own company, I see no use in the delegation/autamation. What I see as a chore is already automated if I can, and I can't afford something like a cleaner or the like. Maybe this method is not the greatest for the majority of us? Furthermore, if it is neither important nor urgent it is seldom on my to-do list. I don't write "Browse reddit for 2 hours" on my list, and when it happens I am aware that it happens and that it shouldn't be. It feels like no use writing it in the "delete" section. Good video none the less.

[@reyespiano945]

You are right. Maybe we students can use this method mentally. When creating a to-do list, you can think in which of these 4 possibilities a certain task falls into, and then you will know if you should schedule it for that day, for another day or just forget about it.

[@precisamesmo]

Same. Additionally, there are things that are not that important nor that urgent, but they still need to get done (as a student, organizing your files or selecting the reading you're gonna tackle first). Therefore, everything becomes a bit important, and we go back to the "how to decide which comes first". That method only works if you're not working for others (because, if so, new things keep coming your way and you can't delegate them nor work on your own timetable) and if you have things you can pass onto others and the money to do so. I find that this only works for me to a point, but it gets tricky the more things I have to do/less time I have to do them.

[@Roanmonster]

I've taught this method to people working in bars / clubs too. If it's a hectic night it can be super helpful to identify which things need to go first. The difference between important and unimportant urgent tasks is a particularly sneaky one. By the way, a tool that can help you with identifying which box things go in it asking yourself the question "Do I need to do this now?" in different ways - Do * I * need to do this now? (questioning whether you can delegate) - Do I need to do this * now * ? (questioning urgency) - Do I need to do * this * now? (same)

[@ZacharyLaid]

I wake up with 20 different things in the *DO* box, just end up pushing through quickly, you eventually get so good that it becomes second nature.

[@gesireci]

Thank you for all your videos. If it wasn’t for you, i would have quit 100 times. Starting out as a small youtuber is a pain in the a**. The way you give so much information in every single video makes me wanna read and search more. Anddd... “The faster you Learn, the faster your Earn.”

[@hendali3848]

I really appreciate how you put a lot of effort & work into your videos to produce such unique content!

[@fredfernans]

First, great video Thomas! Second, sorry for my English writing (I'm still learning). But let's dive into some of my comments. I get the usefulness of this method. Still, I think that David Allen's advice on how to prioritize is essencial for this discussion: first, you need to create and maintain an inventory of all things you want, ought, should, have to accomplish which includes your actions/tasks, projects, goals, areas of focus, etc. If you don't have any of these, you can't actually decide if something is (not) important or urgent. Then, Thomas touches on the discussion that when using this method you should sometimes ask you "why" you're doing things that you could be getting rid of in the first place (which is a real good tip). But again you need to capture and clarify these thoughts first -- you need to list them. Essentially, you will always be feeling that things are important plus urgent because you are not dealing with everything you actually need to tackle but just with those things that are on the top of your mind (and probably they are urgent rather than important). As David says, you don't manage priorities, you have *them* -- and they can change in the blink of an eye. At the end of day, my advice is that you need to reflect on the all the things that pop up in your life in a regular basis to guarantee you are actually doing the meaningful stuff. Thanks!

[@MixMasterMohan]

Finished school last semester but still am subscribed and love to keep up with new content from Thomas!

[@stevesloan5935]

I would like to see a video on how to get buy-in on this from partners, spouse, kids, etc. who don't have naturally that personality type to value the GTD/ productivity/ goal-setting approach. Great content!

[@Lirix_Flamma]

Hello! Thanks to your video I did my work and passed the session, thanks a lot Thomas :) You always charge me with motivation and useful information. Greetings from Belarus :D

[@jeronimomadruga]

One of your best videos so far, thanks for all the knowledge!

[@red-ocracy546]

Love when your videos come out. Always take a break to watch

[@wg3771]

I only have KZbin. I deleted my Facebook and Instagram accounts.. in KZbin l actually learn something every time with your videos.

[@mereihatanaka241]

Thank you! I am working in a fine dining restaurant as a Front Desk, it is so difficult to manage all the tasks. Thank you! Its like a much more defined of big rocks first then small rocks last.

[@SpaceEngineerErich]

A quick note about oil changes and automotive maintenance. I do a lot of work on my vehicles myself. Most people don't want to or know how to do this which is fine. My number one advice is to find a shop that you TRUST and has proven to be reliable and doesn't run scams. This does not always mean the dealership either. Case in point: I bought a used car from a Ford dealership and they offered me 1 free oil change. When it came time to change the oil, I was in the middle of moving and decided to take them up on it. A few weeks ago my sister in law(who now has the car) took it in for an oil change at the shop they always use and the drain plug had been overtightened so hard it stripped the threads of the oil pan. They were able to patch it, but the next time the oil is changed, I am going to have to replace the pan. I can't say for sure if the dealership did this on purpose or their technician was just incompetent, but the point is that I now have an extra expense and work to do all because I decided to trust a shop that I had not vetted.

[@celestinnarose]

WOW!!! His work ethic was magnificent! Love it!!! Especially seeing as how I have soo many things I want to accomplish. Thank you for this

[@akhandpratapsingh3387]

Big fan Thomas..U changed my life to big extent🔥💓

[@ShaneHummus]

This is a fantastic video Thomas, thank you

[@MichaelJLong]

I posted a video on the Eisenhower method this week to. I like yours a lot better. I’m going to include a link to this video on the end screen. Great vid! 👍🏻

[@martiembry852]

Thank you for this video! Not only did I learn more about President Eisenhower, but how to tackle my HUGE To-Do list! Thanks so much!

[@SuperPhoenixra]

I still think that social media can be useful for rising personal brand awareness, up to you to decide how much time you want to invest in it

[@Juan_Codes]

Changing the oil takes me about 25 minutes, personally. Get to be hands on and productive and gives one a sense of accomplishment. Only have to do it once or twice a year. I also spend about half less.

[@karenrich9092]

The Eisenhower Matrix worked because a letter size sheet of paper could be quartered and fit in the pocket of a man's dress shirt. The plan was handy, useful and garbage-free. The system I would use was a Basic Week Plan with certain tasks dedicated to a certain day of the week. I had 3 days, a cleaning day, grocery day and desk day. I needed these days to run my house. This tells you what is important for each day. If you have a yard day, that keeps you from running out to mow the lawn only to find the battery for the mower needs charging. With a Basic Week Plan you can stay in control of routine tasks of your life. And you can tell people I do errands on Wednesday and bake on Saturday, etc. Then they get used to YOUR routine when they want YOU to do something.

[@user-ob3gy3zo6y]

FULL RANGE OF MOTION ON PULL UPS THOMAS! But seriously, thanks for the wonderful content and tips, going for my PhD applications now and getting back in the skill set of school is easier with your videos.

[@shriyatiwari3088]

It's the like the four quadrants from the 7 habits of highly effective people and it's actually very useful in managing the "not urgent but important" box.

[@sherlock5141]

Your videos make me wanna do more and more. Thank you Thomas 🤓

[@karenrich2836]

While delegating/automating a task -- such as dishes -- is a good idea, sometimes I use that time of mindless task to solve mental problems. I have found the solution to my website design issues while folding laundry, washing dishes or raking the yard. However, I can't justify watching TV of surfing the web when there's other work to be done.

[@t_n_rasberry8387]

4 hour work week book is a good read. Thats where I first learn about delegating.

[@picklepirate]

Working in corporate, everything is both important and urgent

[@timbuktu8069]

Big problem I have is that I'm retired (I know-poor baby) but *NOTHING* is urgent and there is very little that is important. That leaves *a lot* of time for zonning out.

[@shreyakeasharwani]

Many people have talked about this. But after watching your video I will finally be able to use it. Thankssss.

[@MannyWC]

AMEN! to posting on IG being a waste of time! And de-stressing!

[@jbdmb]

This is great to remind yourself of as often as needed

[@ch38786]

Back here to gain more ideas on using this technique, your examples were really helpful!

[@fuzzmaayn29]

interesting point you bring up about the camera angle thing. What strikes me is the idea of less is more or taking away produces more. wont always be the case but a nice observation you made none the less.

[@BDV000]

This guy just made the Matrix so much more relatable. Thank you for this

[@Jen39x]

Not the first time I’ve seen material but I hadn’t heard it called this before. Excellent explanation. I would like your take on determining what’s important in more detail.

[@Autumn_Forest_]

Sometimes I feel the urgent need to play my ukulele or kiss my cat 50 times. I think my judgment is too far off to use this matrix.

[@peramoredellanalisi4341]

Very nice video, Tom! If am not wrong saw that table on "7 habits of highly effective people".

[@jananiram3041]

Yes, that's where a lot of people see it first.

[@ethanfisher-perez9620]

Great video. I often have trouble being decisive, and this is a real, tangible thing I can use to fix that problem day-to-day.

[@J_Shingy53]

I like the editor. He charismatic

[@ashtonmalla3645]

I’m sorry i know it’s a pretty serious topic but when you fell off the bed that’s where i got my inspiration to do this.

[@hargur4121]

Can you plz make a video on Habit Tracking and Goal Tracking methods

[@jada-virginiasurpin3851]

Hi Tom, I just wanted to say thank you because I enjoy your e-mail subscription and really find it useful, won't be cancelling any time soon!

[@_._.-]

1. | 2. Important | Important Urgant | Not Urgant ---------------- 3. | 4. Not Important | Not Important Urgant | Not Urgant ---------------- 1 - Do | 2 - Decide | 3 - Delegate | 4 - Delete ----------------- ----------------- “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” ------------------ seldom - (adverb) not often; rarely. "Islay is seldom visited by tourists" ---- not common; infrequent. "a great but seldom pleasure" ------------

[@danielmiller7037]

High quality content as usual! Time and life management is hard work! No shortcuts and magic pill :/

[@charmainejones9468]

I think I will find Matrix very helpful, however I have watched it 3 times... a bit of Important/Not Urgent, but getting started RIGHT NOW. Thanks

[@vinayakkulkarni8987]

1950 : spend time and save money 2020 : spend money and save time

[@kg7111]

We have less time these days

[@studykendrick2029]

I really enjoy watching these videos. Keep up the great work!

[@t_n_rasberry8387]

Omg this is such a good video. Sending this video to my friend and saving it for myself.

[@Salamaleikum80]

Dude how do you light that setting so good. It looks like evening but still is lit very well.

[@anischab]

Every task to do on my list gets symbols just in front of the tick box before the text !! Important and urgent !? Important not urgent ?! Not important but urgent ?? Not important nor urgent Sort this list alphabetically and you got your to do list... If you get all the tasks with ! In them done, then do your ?? Ones... don't be hesitant to delete them

[@feathersextrafluffy4979]

I just love the simplicity of this. Thanks for the idea!

[@tarannumafreen6320]

Wow that's a cool way of incorporating the principle in a to-do list

[@MrUnstoppableHeart]

Here's an automation that I see no one talking about: Get your groceries delivered. You save so much time it's unbelievable. Walmart for example, for 10$ a month you have unlimited free delivery. Idk what other grocery stores pricing is but walmart is hard to beat.

[@stillperspective488]

Thanks! Added to „watch later“

[@ethereal9216]

Hey thank you so much. This helps me a lot to set my priorities! :)

[@jordancridland9657]

Are you able to do a video focused on active learning and mostly summary writing

[@iloraishaque391]

Used to use this, but it pushed me away from some of my hobbies, which were not urgent and were relatively less important than eg doing that extra school project, so be careful to have an extra list of all of those things that are neither urgent nor important, but make life good

[@VioletEmerald]

Yeah I think people with high life satisfaction are very productive for some hours of the day but prioritize sleep, health, socializing, and fun hobbies/alone time to relax as well.

[@youstinanagi740]

I think the delegate box is kind of tricky because if you often delegate to family members for example, you'll come off as selfish or independent. Plus, If everyone uses this method there would be no one to delegate to.

[@arbaaz9992]

i am a bit late to this discussion since it's a 3 year old video but i think what he means by delegation isn't just being a lazy person and putting your own tasks onto other people with no regards to context or other people's needs. and it also doesn't mean that you should delegate every single task or even tasks you feel like you don't have time for. what he's reffering to here, is the idea of importance. if a task is wasting your time that could be spent on better things, i.e cleaning your house everyday, doing exhausting chores or anything that doesn't really improve upon your own productivity or your progress as a person in general, and it can be done by another person, you should stop thinking that this is essential for only you to do and no one else. its about building a system that works for you rather than just putting hours of your time into that thing. also, the person who is being delegated to should either benefit from it in some way in my opinion or shouldn't feel burdened by it at least. lastly, the delegation isn't necessarily just for humans. you can build an automation system around that task so that you don't have to think about doing it even. example being, doing your bills and payment physically each time instead of just automating them through a system.

[@dulan8278]

Hello! I love your content and I binge watched all of it XD I was wondering why you don't switch from the 16:9 to the new 2:1 aspect ratio. I think it would be better since people who have newer phones generally crop zoom in and there is maybe content lost . Continue to make awesome videos🥵☺️

[@hasansaleem4604]

your videos are intuitive i love them

[@SwitchHipHop]

Super helpful man

[@lewy7601]

At 6:18 yes, just like John Wick movie and what Jackie Chen say about, wide angle see all actions in sequence.

[@onemanenclave]

OK, nice, but the problem is that I feel like everything is important and urgent.

[@SNinjaQK]

you must have ocd or something

[@thelionqueen12]

Ger your priorities defined!

[@Autumn_Forest_]

Fled From Nowhere I can relate...anxiety!

[@pingupongo5275]

I think that's an anxiety issue

[@7thewitness]

Sorting the importance and urgency can help! I.e. Is thing A more important/urgent than thing B, then repeat

[@jecatutusonjedca2868]

Your podcast table should be an arc or triangle shape in order for you and your guest/s be facing tilted to the camera like having 60-70 degree angle so that the viewer can also see the other side of the your and your guest's face often, 'cause i think it's more viewer friendly in my suggested way than just like a face usually seen on a coin.

[@breadw7490]

Something that is both urgent and important: watching this video

[@zhadann_]

Thanks a lot for your book! It`s really awesome and helpful!

[@jackiemccree595]

thank you, i found that this is very useful and your content is really great❤️

[@MariamHalfNomad]

Love the matrix but never get to both non urgent boxes, which is depressing. I should delete more I guess

[@tommytruong9001]

Just in time. Thanks

[@jacobgustavson6704]

i liked this video it got rid of some of my anxiety it helped me come up with a plan

[@oliviadance1174]

Such a helpful video! I just created a spreadsheet with my priorities with the system you suggested! Thank you!

[@thebigten90]

Very well spoken

[@caedengoering]

Great video! Helpful and informative as always.

[@IAMElsLife]

Great tips that I will implement right now. Thanks for sharing this information.

[@Zetsuke4]

Nice reminder for me to consider how to delegate my work more often

[@harishkumargujudhur2234]

Let me know if the following works: Urgent/Productive-Urgent/NotProductive-Productive/NotUrgent-Not Urgent/Not Productive (Anything related to bodily/mental skill acquisition, hence internally productive, which already has mental/physical exercise basics available) Important(40-100%)-Less important(20-40%/often more than 40% important)-Not important(0-20%) I have a feeling the detailing will be rather concrete, and provide finality, at least for me.

[@Potentialaj]

Wow Eisenhower seems great!!

[@hollydingman7455]

This is so interesting! I’m going to try it as a Bullet journal module.

[@jd6473]

Thanks I just realized KZbin should be in my delete column lol

[@sergio.tellez]

This video was quite useful, Thanks a lot!

[@cherrytung]

*Who's all for efficiency and productivity??* 🙋🙋

[@joehouston2833]

Love your videos babe

[@heimerscott]

Center angle podcast view: very Wes Anderson!

[@praticm2846]

I would actually have one more category which is neither important nor not important or rather "INTERMEDIATE" like for example playing sports(no video games) with friends or washing the dishes

[@geramesullano]

this hit me so hard 😅 . thankyou for making this video . helps a ton! 💪

[@roundhippo3770]

Stephen coveys "7 habits of highly effective people'' has same prioritization method written in it.

[@aaronryder4008]

Hey, great video. How do you feel about Bullet Journaling? A video would be great on this since I've heard its been helping a lot of people