The Action Priority Matrix

Getting things done

The basic steps for getting things done could be summed up as:

1. List all things that need to be done
2. Rank or prioritize those things
3. Decide what to do and when
4. Start working

I'm always looking for new ways to compartmentalize work and life. Lately, I've been using a simple framework referred to as the "Action Priority Matrix."

It's a close cousin to the Eisenhower Decision Matrix which blends urgent and important tasks into categories of: do, schedule, delegate, or delete.

Business owners and leaders are tasked with deciding what to focus on each day. It's a never-ending game of whack-a-mole with new tasks popping up the moment you complete the last one.

So what should you do?

Try using the Action Priority Matrix — compare each task between: 1) the level of effort required to complete it; and 2) the amount of impact it will have on your company/situation.

Think of it as a matrix with 4 quadrants ranking impact and required effort which determines how you should treat that task on your to-do list:

Spend most of your time on the left-hand side of this matrix and you'll do quite well over time.

1. Strategic projects (high effort / high impact) — It's difficult to stay focused on more than 3-4 big projects at any given time. These are usually easy to spot: they result in big earnings growth, require several dependent steps to complete, etc. Examples might be: launching new products or services, opening new locations, overhauling operational processes, or major marketing campaigns.
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2. Quick wins (low effort / high impact) — When it feels like you're stuck working only on those bigger, longer-term projects; look at your list for quick wins to knock out. Checking my list now: finishing a client proposal, compiling our recently completed cash flow workshop, and adding a few product listings to our website. These have tangible effects, can be wrapped up in a week or less, and generally fall outside daily recurring work.
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3. Distractions (low effort / low impact) — These tasks give you a dopamine hit for "checking a box," but rarely add much value. Constantly checking email falls into this category. Watch out for over-researching ideas and never executing, you might get caught in the low impact loop!
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4. Losers (high effort / low impact) — Big projects with highly uncertain payoffs can fall into this bucket, but not always. Some that come to mind could be a rebranding effort or website redesign. These might take 6-12 months to complete with questionable upside (in most cases).

Why this matters...

What you decide to work on as an owner is all that matters every single day. No one (but you) can tell you where to place your attention. Some entrepreneurs thrive in that environment while us mere mortals need tools to give us direction.

It's not enough to only get things done, you need to get high impact stuff done.

Takeaway — This framework is a simple process to help you rank tasks and projects. Don't overcomplicate this... Remember, we're just trying to decide where to focus our effort! It's a simple screening process that anyone on your team can use.

List out your tasks and projects, think about the level of effort and potential output from that work. If you can't clearly articulate the impact/value, then consider it low impact. Rank those tasks and projects by effort to complete and get to work this week, month, and year!

P.S. share your list of high impact ideas whether low effort or high effort; we'll compile them and share some of the top items.