President Dwight D. Eisenhower was well known for prioritizing his daily duties by sifting the urgent from the important; time management experts today still recommend the Eisenhower Decision Matrix. Brett McKay and his wife, Kate McKay, authors of the best-selling Art of Manliness advice book series, explain why it’s so effective: “Urgent tasks put us in a reactive mode, one marked by a defensive, negative, hurried, and narrowly focused mindset . . . When we focus on important activities we operate in a responsive mode, which helps us remain calm, rational, and open to new opportunities.”
