If you're feeling like your to-do list is longer than the queue at the school tuckshop, it's time to whip out the Eisenhower Matrix and take control.

By sorting your tasks into four quadrants of urgency and importance, you can stay on top of your workload and avoid feeling like you're drowning in a sea of assessments and lesson plans.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool that can help you organise your to-do list based on priority and urgency. It's named after former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who famously said, "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent."

The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple four-quadrant system that divides tasks into four categories:

1. Urgent and Important: These are tasks that must be completed immediately. They are high-priority items that require your immediate attention. Examples include marking papers, preparing for a lesson, or meeting a deadline.

2. Important, but not Urgent: These are tasks that are important, but not time-sensitive. They require planning and preparation and are often overlooked in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of teaching. Examples include professional development, long-term planning, or curriculum development.

3. Urgent, but not Important: These are tasks that are urgent, but not necessarily important. They may require your attention, but they can often be delegated to others or eliminated altogether. Examples include responding to emails, attending meetings, or answering phone calls.

4. Not Urgent and Not Important: These are tasks that don't require your immediate attention and aren't essential to your job. They can be eliminated or scheduled for a later date. Examples include personal tasks, checking social media, or browsing the internet.

By categorising your tasks into these four quadrants, you can prioritise your to-do list and focus on the most important and urgent tasks first. This will help you stay on top of your workload and avoid feeling overwhelmed, and you'll have more time to enjoy a (hot) coffee while planning your next class.

To start using the Eisenhower Matrix, begin by making a list of all your tasks for the day or week. Then, place each task into one of the four quadrants based on its level of urgency and importance. Once you've categorised your tasks, focus on completing the tasks in the urgent and important quadrant first. Then, move on to the important, but not urgent tasks, and so on.

And let's face it, we all know that being a teacher requires more multitasking than trying to teach a class full of five-year-olds how to play musical chairs without any tears. But with the Eisenhower Matrix, you'll be able to prioritise like a pro and tackle those tasks with confidence and ease.

So go ahead, give it a go and see how it can transform your workload and make you feel like the queen or king of the classroom. Trust us, your students will thank you for it.