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The Motivational Matrix

This simple tool helps me address anxious feelings with logic — and put my priorities in their proper place.

6 Comments: The Motivational Matrix

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  1. reading about how to stop procrastinating, oops I am aready 2 days behind schedule arrrrrrrrrrrgh

  2. Thank you for this. I think it will be helpful. I made a paper with a 4 squared table with the above-named categories as headers in each box and will see how it goes! My problem is that as much as I detest clutter, I have stacks of paperwork and it all gets lost in stacks. Then I feel I can’t breathe and I walk away from all of it or place it out of sight so I don’t feel overwhelmed. Then I completely lose things in these stacks I’ve hidden. 🙁

  3. Prioritization has always been a problem for me. How do I know which tasks I should put in which category. I’m not kidding, I’m just that dense.

    1. To answer your question, let’s consider your day. If you have 4 things to do; 1. mail a check that must be postmarked NLT today by 5pm. 2. Drop off dry cleaning before the end of the week 3. Pick up meds 4. Pick up a cover for the BBQ grill.
      You’d place them in the following categories based on the chart; 1. Urgent and Important
      2. Urgent but not Important
      3. Important but not Urgent
      4. Not Urgent or Important

      Hope this helped!

      1. I can get the difference between urgent/non urgent, but important/not important always confuses me. Why would I be adding something to my to-do list if it wasn’t something I have to do? If it’s not important it doesn’t belong on my list at all.

      2. Hi,

        I see the non-urgent things as “when you have a chance to get to this”. For me, that would be filing. Or washing my car – It’s something I do need to do, but the world won’t end if I put it off and tend to more important things. I hope that’s helpful.

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