AGENTS/skills/chiron-core/references/priority-matrix.md

Priority Matrix (Eisenhower)

The Matrix

Prioritize tasks based on two dimensions:

1. Urgency - Time-sensitive
2. Importance - Impact on goals

	Important	Not Important
Urgent	⏫ Critical 🔥	🔼 High (Do or Delegate)
Not Urgent	🔼 High (Schedule)	🔽 Low (Eliminate)

Quadrant Breakdown

Quadrant 1: Urgent & Important (⏫ Critical)

Do immediately. These are crises or deadlines.

Characteristics:

• Time-sensitive
• Has direct impact
• Must be done now
• Often stressful

Examples:

• Project due today
• Client emergency
• Health issue
• Financial deadline

Strategy:

• Handle now
• Identify root causes (why was it urgent?)
• Prevent recurrence through planning

Quadrant 2: Not Urgent & Important (🔼 High - Schedule)

This is where quality happens. These are your priorities.

Characteristics:

• Strategic work
• Long-term goals
• Personal growth
• Relationship building

Examples:

• Strategic planning
• Skill development
• Exercise
• Deep work projects
• Relationship time

Strategy:

• Block time on calendar
• Protect from interruptions
• Schedule first (before urgent items)
• This should be 60-80% of your time

Quadrant 3: Urgent & Not Important (🔼 High - Do or Delegate)

These are distractions. Minimize or delegate.

Characteristics:

• Time-sensitive but low impact
• Other people's priorities
• Interruptions
• Some meetings

Examples:

• Most email
• Some meetings
• Coworker requests
• Unscheduled calls
• Many notifications

Strategy:

• Delegate if possible
• Say no more often
• Batch process (check email 2x/day)
• Set expectations about response time
• Aim to minimize this to <20%

Quadrant 4: Not Urgent & Not Important (🔽 Low - Eliminate)

These are time-wasters. Remove them.

Characteristics:

• No urgency
• No importance
• Entertainment masquerading as work
• Habits that don't serve you

Examples:

• Doom scrolling
• Excessive social media
• Mindless TV
• Busy work that has no impact
• Low-priority tasks you procrastinate on

Strategy:

• Eliminate ruthlessly
• Set time limits
• Use app blockers if needed
• Replace with value activities

Task Priority Symbols

Use these symbols in your task format:

- [ ] Task description #tag ⏫ 📅 YYYY-MM-DD

Symbol	Meaning	When to use
⏫	Critical (Q1)	Urgent AND important
🔼	High (Q2/Q3)	Important but not urgent OR urgent but delegate-able
🔽	Low (Q4)	Neither urgent nor important

Daily Prioritization Workflow

Morning Plan

1. List all tasks for today

2. Categorize by quadrant:

   ⏫ Critical (Do Now):
   - [Task 1]
   - [Task 2]
   
   🔼 High (Schedule):
   - [Task 3]
   - [Task 4]
   
   🔽 Low (Maybe):
   - [Task 5]
   

3. Limit Critical tasks: Max 3-4 per day

4. Schedule High tasks: Block time on calendar

5. Eliminate Low tasks: Remove or move to someday/maybe

Time Blocking

Rule of thumb:

• 60-80% in Quadrant 2 (strategic work)
• 20% in Quadrant 1 (crises)
• <20% in Quadrant 3 (distractions)
• 0% in Quadrant 4 (eliminate)

Example schedule:

9:00-11:00  Deep work (Q2) - Project X
11:00-11:30 Handle crises (Q1) - Urgent email
11:30-12:30 Deep work (Q2) - Project X
12:30-13:30 Lunch & break
13:30-14:30 Distractions (Q3) - Batch email
14:30-16:30 Deep work (Q2) - Project Y
16:30-17:00 Wrap up (Q1)

Energy-Based Prioritization

Not all critical tasks should be done at the same time. Consider:

Energy Level	Best Tasks
High (morning)	Complex, creative work (Q2)
Medium (midday)	Communication, meetings (Q3)
Low (evening)	Admin, simple tasks (Q1 easy wins)

Morning energy:

• Complex problem-solving
• Writing
• Creative work
• Strategic thinking

Midday energy:

• Meetings
• Email
• Calls
• Collaboration

Low energy:

• Admin tasks
• Filing
• Planning
• Review

Context-Specific Prioritization

Different contexts require different approaches:

Work context:

• Prioritize team deadlines
• Consider stakeholder expectations
• Balance strategic vs tactical

Personal context:

• Prioritize health and well-being
• Consider relationships
• Balance work-life boundaries

Emergency context:

• Quadrant 1 dominates
• Defer Q2 tasks
• Accept disruption to normal flow

Common Pitfalls

Mistreating Urgency for Importance

Problem: Responding to urgent but unimportant items (Q3) first.

Solution: Start with Q2 (schedule important work) before checking email/notifications.

Overcommitting to Critical (Q1)

Problem: Having 10+ critical tasks creates paralysis and stress.

Solution: Limit to 3-4 critical tasks per day. Move rest to Q2 with realistic deadlines.

Neglecting Q2

Problem: Always in reactive mode, never proactive.

Solution: Schedule 60-80% of time for Q2. Protect these blocks fiercely.

Faking Urgency

Problem: Making tasks urgent to avoid doing them (procrastination disguised as crisis).

Solution: Question urgency. "Is this truly time-sensitive, or just uncomfortable?"

Perfectionism in Q2

Problem: Spending too long on strategic planning, never executing.

Solution: Set time limits for planning. Action produces learning.

Integration with Chiron Workflows

Morning Plan: Use matrix to identify 3-5 ⏫ critical tasks and schedule Q2 blocks

Weekly Review: Evaluate how much time was spent in each quadrant, adjust for next week

Daily Review: Review urgency/importance of remaining tasks

Project Planning: Break projects into Q2 tasks, identify potential Q1 crises

Quick Reference

⏫ = Do now (Urgent + Important)
🔼 = Schedule (Important) OR Delegate (Urgent but not important)
🔽 = Eliminate (Neither urgent nor important)

Goal: 60-80% time on 🔼 (Quadrant 2)
Limit ⏫ to 3-4 per day
Minimize 🔼 (Quadrant 3) to <20%
Eliminate 🔽

Resources

• Eisenhower Matrix on Wikipedia
• Atomic Habits - Habits matrix
• Deep Work (Cal Newport) - Protecting Q2 time