Introduction
As school leaders, your day is filled with tasks, emails, meetings, and unexpected issues. It’s easy to feel busy yet wonder if you’re really making an impact. The key to effective leadership is distinguishing between what is urgent, what is important, and what can be delegated or eliminated.

This framework will help you prioritize, make better decisions, and focus on what truly advances your school’s mission.

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The Eisenhower Matrix: A Quick Guide

Urgency / Importance	Action	Examples in Schools
Urgent & Important	Do it now	Student safety concerns, major deadlines, crisis response
Important but Not Urgent	Schedule it	Strategic planning, curriculum development, staff mentoring
Urgent but Not Important	Delegate it	Routine approvals, minor requests, non-critical emails
Neither Urgent nor Important	Eliminate it	Low-value tasks, excessive social media, unnecessary meetings

Key Insight: Many leaders spend too much time in the “urgent but not important” quadrant. Delegating effectively frees you to focus on high-impact work.

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Tips for Effective Prioritization

1. Block time for important but not urgent tasks to prevent them from becoming crises.
2. Delegate strategically to team members with clear expectations and deadlines.
3. Review daily: Check your task list against the matrix to ensure alignment with priorities.
4. Say no when needed: Protect your time from low-value activities that don’t advance your goals.

Please click below for a graphic that you can use: