The Decision Matrix
- Irreversible and inconsequential
- Irreversible and consequential
- Reversible and inconsequential
- Reversible and consequential
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
The decisions we spend the most time on are rarely the most important ones.
Inconsequential decisions are the perfect training ground to develop judgment.
In reality, reversible and consequential decisions are the perfect decisions to run experiments and gather information.
RELATED IDEAS
In anything we do, there’s always ~20% of activities that will deliver 80% of our desired results.
It’s easy to be wrapped up in ‘busy’ work without ever getting anything done. Pareto’s Law is a useful mental model to be more effective, rather than just be efficient.
The matrix consists of a square divided into 4 quadrants:
- Important/Urgent quadrants are done immediately and personally;
- Important/Not Urgent quadrants get an end date and are done personally;
- Unimportant/Urgent quadrants are delegated;
- Unimportant/Not Urgent quadrants are dropped.
But the reality is that no matter what you spend your time doing, you can never get that time back. And any time spent continuing to work towards the wrong priority is just wasted time.