𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕠𝕞 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕩 😴
You may have heard of Stephen Covey's Time Matrix / The Eisenhower Matrix, with its Urgent/Important quadrants. It’s a tool I’ve valued for years.
Recently, in an interview with fellow Sidebar member Eleanor Tweddell on her Another Door podcast, I shared a perspective related to the matrix that I think gets overlooked: boredom. As an entrepreneur with ADHD, I’ve realized how important it is to recognize whether the things I’m working on interest me, as it directly affects my productivity. Eleanor said she loved the idea and I needed to post on it, so here it is!
The Boredom Matrix is divided into four quadrants: Importance on one axis, Boredom on the other. Here’s how it works, with colors that signal the attention needed:
𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 – ❗️
These tasks are essential but tough because I find them uninteresting. Red represents danger here because the risk of procrastination is high. If I don’t push through, important work stalls. As an example, I struggle with business development (like follow-up), and if I delay, the business suffers. These are the kinds of tasks that I often need to get help with.
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 – ✅
This is the sweet spot, marked green to signify "go." I love doing these tasks and can focus easily. For someone with ADHD, this is where hyperfocus thrives—full steam ahead.
𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 – 💩
These tasks offer little value and are uninteresting, represented by yellow as a warning. These tasks are expendable—they sap valuable energy that could be spent on more important work. It’s often better to avoid them entirely.
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 –❗️
These are shiny distractions—fun but not essential. I’ve marked them red as a danger and proceed with caution. They bring joy, but too much focus here can derail critical work. Hyperfocus in this quadrant can lead you off track quickly.
If you find you struggle with where to focus your time, try this tool out. I think it can be especially helpful for folks who are neurodiverse. Put everything into the different quadrants and then see where you are spending your time. Then you can make adjustments to align better with the things that need to get done.
Let me know if it works for you!
#growth #entrepreneur #neurodiversity #adhd
