In John Dickerson’s latest book, The Hardest Job in the World, he mentions The Eisenhower Matrix, and presents it as a tool that President Dwight Eisenhower used. There are no shortages of concerns that people would love to bring to any President’s attention, but in his estimation, the President should only be focused on Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 issues–the important things–and must deal with the issues in the time frame appropriate to each.

I keep returning to the idea of this matrix. The simplicity disguises its effectiveness and it has become increasingly valuable to me since learning of it. Most of what I read is either non-fiction (predominantly in the social sciences) or news, and my media diet has never failed to provide concerns that I, as a citizen, am made aware of. In an election year–amid the volume swells & pounding of drums and when so many news events and issues are presented with such a feeling of importance–I feel this matrix really shines in identifying what is useful to focus on and avoid the traps of the season.

Quadrant 1 is the Important and Urgent: I would place things like public confidence in a free and fair election or getting the Covid-19 pandemic under control in this block. Quadrant 2 would be the Important and Non-Urgent: I would place something like Comprehensive Immigration Reform or Nuclear Non-Proliferation efforts in this block.

For Quadrants 3 and 4 “Less Important” feels like a more useful term. But for Quadrant 3, I would place restoring faith in Public Health Agencies and increasing public confidence in the value of expertise in specialized fields; in the distant corner of Quadrant 4, I might have some bit about the remodeling of the White House’s Rose Garden.

In any event, I just wanted to share this. I find it useful to have the language available to immediately recognize something as a Quadrant 3 or Quadrant 2 issue in my own day-to-day and perhaps someone else who had similarly never come across the Eisenhower Matrix may as well.

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currently reading: Let Them Eat Tweets, Jacob S. Hacker & Paul Pierson
last full listen: Cities II by Thibault Cauvin