A little kid education site online called Twinkl describes Spring this way: “Spring is a season of new beginnings, renewal, and growth. As the days get longer and warmer, the world around us starts to come back to life with blooming flowers, chirping birds, and buzzing bees. Spring is a time when we can shed our winter coats and embrace the beauty and warmth of the outdoors.” 

Kids grow more in the spring. (True story.)

The divorce rate rises in the spring. (True story.)

Your sense of smell increases in the spring. (True story.)

And the Eiffel Tower grows 6 inches in the spring. (True story!)

Do you know what else is a little crazy about spring?  The sheer amount of decisions to be made – so. many. decisions. 

We’re finishing school years and helping to choose colleges, 

we’re celebrating graduations and weddings and birthdays and babies, 

we’re attending soccer games and baseball games and track meets,

we’re figuring out how to celebrate May Day and Mother’s Day and Cinco de Mayo,

we’re invited to band concerts and choir concerts and awards banquets, 

we’re planning summer trips and summer camps and summer school, 

we’re getting swimsuit ready and “what a beautiful yard!” ready and “can we please park the car in the garage?” ready, 

we’re seeing new trends and cleaning out old closets and learning new lyrics to 31 new Taylor Swift songs. (Had to.)  

You (really) get my point.  

There is a lot to be done this spring. And a lot to be decided.  And, even though it might not seem like it, not all of it is as urgent as we think. 

Susanna Newsonen says, “As nature shifts gears, so can you. It’s the perfect time to set new intentions that set the right tone for your life. It reminds you that you are in control of your life and setting clear intentions will help you to proactively make choices that match them. It gives you direction and a sense of purpose on a day-to-day basis. Doing it in sync with the season of rebirth in nature will naturally make you feel more inspired and motivated to stick to them.”

This is where the Eisenhower Matrix – and the 4 Ds of decision making – can help.

Stephen Covey is one of many credited with coining the term ‘Eisenhower Matrix’ after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who arranged his day only according to important AND urgent tasks.

Mr. Covey suggests making a list of ALL of the to-dos swirling around in your head and dividing them into these 4 quadrants::

Is it something Important AND Urgent? 

These are tasks with clear deadlines and significant consequences if not completed in a timely manner: crises, deadlines, problems, etc. These are yours to DO. These are your first priority. Period.

Is it something Important AND Not Urgent? 

DECIDE on it. These are tasks without a set deadline but that bring you closer to your long term objectives: relationships, planning, goals, recreation, etc.  These are easy to procrastinate so you have to DECIDE they matter and schedule them into your life. 

Is it something Not Important AND yet still Urgent? 

These things might not require your specific skill set – they might be what you consider (urgent) busy work: interruptions, repairs, requests, etc.  Give yourself permission to DELEGATE them when you can. Hand them over to someone else who is more suited for the task. 

Lastly, is it something Not Important AND Not Urgent? 

These can be the distractions that don’t provide value in your life – and might even make you feel worse: time wasters or time suckers.  It might be time to DROP them – at least for a season.

Do.

Decide.

Delegate.

Drop.

I can’t wait to hear about what you’re deciding with all your spring decisions. And if you need assistance sorting it out, I’d love to help. 

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