Stop Drowning in Decisions: The Productivity Matrix Every New Manager Needs

The simple framework that frees up hours in your week and transforms your team’s performance

Photo by Microsoft 365 on Unsplash

When I first stepped into management, I thought my biggest challenge would be setting strategic goals or motivating my team. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Instead, I found myself drowning in a mountain of tasks.

Should I handle this myself?

Should I delegate it?

Does this need my attention right now?

These questions often prevented me from making real decisions.

As an individual contributor, I had been responsible for my own work. But overnight, I was responsible for leading the work of an entire team. Every day, I had dozens of decisions that demanded my attention, from minor administrative matters to major strategic issues.

As a new manager, you’ve likely faced decision paralysis. It’s not fun at all.

The management tool that transformed the way I work!

After years of struggling and supporting new managers, I identified the solution: the Eisenhower matrix.

It has truly transformed the way I approach leadership, and I can't help but think how much it would have helped me if I had it from day one of my management journey!

Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritisation Framework / Image from author

The matrix classifies decisions along two critical dimensions:

• Urgency: How time-sensitive is this decision?

• Importance: How significant is the impact of this decision on team goals?

This creates four distinct quadrants, each requiring a different approach:

Quadrant 1: Urgent and important (address immediately)

These are the critical decisions that require your immediate attention as a manager:

• Resolving team conflicts that are affecting productivity

• Addressing unexpected client escalations

• Handling performance issues that have reached a critical point

When it comes to these decisions, it's important to take action right away. Once you've taken care of them, take a moment to reflect: “Could I have anticipated this?” You might find that many Quadrant 1 decisions often begin in Quadrant 2 but shift to Quadrant 1 if we don't address them proactively.

Quadrant 2: Important but not urgent (plan)

These decisions are critical to long-term success but don’t demand immediate action:

• Strategic planning and goal-setting

• Team development and coaching

• Process improvements and systems design

This is where great management happens, but it’s often neglected in favour of more urgent matters. Block dedicated time in your calendar for these decisions and protect this time.

Quadrant 3: Urgent but not important (delegate)

These decisions feel pressing but don’t significantly impact overall team success:

• Routine operational issues that need quick resolution

• Administrative matters with deadlines

• Minor problems that team members could handle with guidance

To empower your team in making these decisions, consider setting up systems that allow them to take charge without needing your direct involvement. It's helpful to provide clear guidelines, helpful decision-making frameworks, and easy-to-follow escalation paths.

Quadrant 4: Not important and not urgent (eliminate)

These decisions consume time without creating meaningful value:

• Excessive reporting that isn’t actionable

• Unnecessary meetings without clear purpose

• Decisions that don’t align with team priorities

When making decisions, consider asking yourself: “What would happen if we didn’t do this at all?” More often than not, the answer might be “nothing significant.” If that's the case, it's best to eliminate these actions completely when you can, or set up simple systems to manage them with just a little effort.

Putting the matrix into practice

Here’s how to implement this framework in your management approach:

1. Take a moment to reflect on your current decisions! For one week, keep a little log of every decision you make. After that, you can categorise each one according to the matrix. Many managers find it surprising to see just how much time they dedicate to Quadrant 3 and 4 decisions!

2. Create systems for each quadrant:

• Quadrant 1: Develop response protocols for common urgent issues.

• Quadrant 2: Block protected time in your calendar for important, non-urgent decisions.

• Quadrant 3: Create decision frameworks your team can use independently.

• Quadrant 4: Identify decisions to eliminate or automate.

3. Review with your team. Share the matrix with your team and discuss which decisions belong in which quadrants. This creates alignment on expectations and empowers team members to take appropriate ownership.

4. Set up regular reflection. Every month, assess whether you’re spending more time in Quadrant 2 and less time in Quadrants 3 and 4. This is the key indicator of management maturity.

The transformative power of the matrix

The goal isn’t to eliminate all decisions from your plate; it’s to ensure you’re making the right decisions at the right level. Over time, your team’s capabilities will grow, and decisions that once required your attention will shift to lower quadrants.

What decisions are currently consuming your time? Try categorising them using the Eisenhower Matrix and consider what might happen if you approached them differently.

I’d love to hear your experiences with decision-making and delegation in the comments. What frameworks have you found helpful? What challenges are you still facing?