Using the Eisenhower Matrix for Summer Freedom

What’s the one thing you must do this summer for your soul

As I write this I’m lounging on the edge of Lake Ontario, toes in the cool water. The condensation on my jar of minty lemonade reminds me that it’s about 30 Celsius, but you don’t feel it here in the shoreline breeze.

Soft waves kiss the edge of the sand, tossing up pebbles and bits of turquoise sea glass to add to the flirtation, as a duck couple lazily paddles nearby.

I had a plan this summer to take a little time off for me. I wanted that feeling of freedom, and summer always seems like the time for it. Amidst the busyness of life and responsibilities I am carving some time out for myself, for some soul work.

Time for myself is not an easy win. As women we often give ourselves to others and all the doing, losing ourselves in the process. I’ve done a lot of that.

Creating here brings me much joy and freedom, among my other creative pursuits. I have many, 😂😂😂, but the one thing I committed to doing for myself this summer, was to write.

When I took a writing related course this May/June with

Beth Kempton

, I protected my time for it fiercely, because it was important to me. I would block off time each day to do the course work and silenced my phone to quell the distractions. I told my family so everyone was well prepared for a little less of me, so I could have more of myself.

I made time for it, which was time for me. And it taught me, that I can do that. I can create boundaries around my me time. Those boundaries brought me freedom.

Your me time is a place for your freedom. How will you guard it this summer? What are your plans for yourself this summer? How will you feel some summer freedom?

If you’re unsure where to start, start with The Eisenhower Matrix for time management. I share this with my students on the first day of every semester, knowing time pressures will intensify for them in the academic year ahead.

The Eisenhower Matrix, created by the 34th President of the United States, helps you define your To Do list based on categories ranging from Not Important to Urgent.

I created this chart on my iPad to illustrate the quadrants and you can use it for making decisions that relate to your time.

We all have the same amount of time in a day, what we do with it makes all the difference.

Although this is a productivity tool used in business for decision making and time management, it is fully adaptable to a soul-led life.

Many of the things we feel we have to do could potentially wait. So as you assess items for importance or urgency, consider one more factor that the Eisenhower Matrix does not discuss.

Ask yourself these two question: Whose lens am I looking through? Is it my own or am I prioritizing based on what others think?

As a recovering perfectionist, I’ll say that working through your To Do List in this way will help you avoid perfectionism and tap into the things that are soul fulfilling for you. Allowing you to find a little freedom in your day, so you can become a Soullionaire.

It could be something as simple and soul quenching as sitting by the lake, like I am right now, sipping on lemonade and the sweetness of freedom.

All I did was say a kind, but firm No, to a couple of things on my list. Not easy, but certainly worth it.

Now tell me, how will you find some summer freedom? And what’s the one thing you want to do this summer?

This is Day 9 of Lemonade Days. This was yesterday’s Note. You’ll find prior days writings in my Notes.

Thanks for reading Soullionaire. If anything here resonated with you, share it with others to help them become Soullionaires too.