Eisenhower’s Matrix

A few weeks ago, I watched the National Geographic documentary called Jane. It’s the story of Jane Goodall’s life using recently found film footage from her first years in Gambia in the 1960’s. I’ve found myself reflecting on this film a lot lately, not just because of the remarkable life that she’s led and her contributions to chimpanzee behavior, ecology and environmental stewardship. I find myself reflecting on her story as such a powerful example of what a life looks like that is focused and not sidetracked by distractions. Hers is a story of a life fueled by a deeply committed purpose. And as you’ll see in the film, there can be complex implications to her choices.

Her story has brought me back to my own question of purpose, along with my awareness of how easy it is to get distracted and sidetracked. Her story also got me thinking about and reviewing Eisenhower’s Matrix (asking myself how do I spend my time within the urgent/not urgent, important/not important matrix). Key questions I asked myself before doing my matrix time analysis included: What is my purpose? To help us remember the power of connection to our deepest self/nature as a way bearer to our best health, relationships and thriving abundance – in other words, To help us find our inner Jedi 🙂

What are my goals for the next 6 months? Publish my guidebook called Inner Leadership, finish my dissertation proposal, finish the Farm on Dragonfly Lane Leadership Retreat/Re-Enchantment Center.

Now, how am I spending my days on the Urgent and Important Matrix? Gulp. I realized I get sidetracked a lot. As dreams I’ve been working on for a long time, get close, I saw how I get scared – allowing myself to say yes to too many projects that could get delegated elsewhere; leaning in to helping others before checking in with my own needs, allowing myself to hit the newsfeed button (N) on my phone way too often in a day (yesterday I deleted the app) or just getting emotionally overwhelmed with all that’s going on in the world (breathe and come home to heart, repeat).

Great exercises and great awareness – not as a one and done but as a consistent, loving practice to self. Let’s not live someone’s else’s life. Let’s live the self we were born to live? What is your purpose? What are some key goals for the next months or year? And how are you structuring your time to accomplish them? And, what can you let go of or delegate to allow yourself more time to give to the important but not siren-screaming urgent? What relationships, reflection time, self-care, learning, connecting calls in the quiet, just waiting for you?

To the “everything” journey,
Sandy

PS. A great book on helping clarify our unique purpose is written by a friend, mentor and colleague of mine, Nick Craig. His book is Leading from Purpose.