08/09/2025
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐
- ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ข๐๐
Early in your career, everything competes for your attention. Bleeping phones. Last-minute forms. โQuickโ consults that arenโt quick. Meanwhile, the work that actually builds your future keeps slipping to tomorrow.
The Eisenhower Matrix helps you take the wheel again. It asks two simple questions about every task: Is it important? Is it urgent?
Your answers sort work into four groups - Do Now, Schedule, Delegate, Eliminate - so you act with clarity instead of reacting to noise.
๐๐ผ ๐ก๐ผ๐ is the combination of important and urgent. Think of a critical lab that changes management, an SHIF or MoH report due today, or a stock-out that will disrupt this afternoonโs clinic. Pick your top three and land them before midday. Protect a 60โ90 minute focus block - phone face down, WhatsApp on mute - so you can deliver without interruption. When in doubt, ask: โWhat happens if I donโt do this today?โ If the answer is patient risk or non-compliance, it belongs here.
๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐น๐ฒ covers the important but not urgent - the part of your work that shapes your next year. Reading new guidelines. Drafting a case report. Updating your CV and LinkedIn. Applying for that MPH or residency. Renewing licenses before they become a crisis. Even sleep and workouts live here. Put these into your calendar before the week fills up. Two short 45-minute sessions each week compound faster than you expect. Treat these slots like clinic time. Rescheduling is allowed; abandoning is not.
๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ is for tasks that feel urgent but donโt need your level of training. Printing labels, chasing a routine delivery, formatting slides youโve already structured, compiling data someone else can extract. Be clear and kind: define the outcome, share the template, set the deadline, and offer support without micromanaging. In clinical settings, delegation always includes supervision and clear escalation points. Respect people, follow up, and give credit.
๐๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ is the trap of work that is neither important nor urgent. Endless WhatsApp threads. Meetings without an agenda. Habitual phone checks every five minutes. Say no early and politely: โIโm heads-down on patient work until 2 p.m. - could we share an agenda or handle this by email?โ Youโre not being difficult; youโre protecting outcomes that matter.
Turn the matrix from an idea into a rhythm. Give it fifteen minutes on Sunday night or Monday morning. Brain-dump everything, then ask the two questions and sort. Calendar the โSchedule.โ Assign the โDelegateโ with names and deadlines. Cross out the โEliminate.โ Each morning, confirm your top three โDo Nowโ items and protect one โScheduleโ block before the day runs away.
Handle clinical edge cases wisely. If patient safety is involved, act now or escalate. If youโre unsure about urgency, ask about the clinical or ethical consequences of waiting. No consequence? Schedule. Possible compromise to care? Move.
Hereโs how a Nairobi day might flow. You start at 7:30 a.m. scanning overnight labs; a critical result triggers an immediate call - straight to Do Now. From 8:30 to 9:45, you run the ward round, resisting side quests. After rounds, you book thirty minutes to sharpen next weekโs CME deck - firmly in Schedule. A routine stock query goes to the clerk with a clear ask and deadline - Delegate. A meeting invite with no agenda gets a request for objectives or a recap - Eliminate. By 4 p.m., the top three are closed, the CME is sharper, and the delivery is confirmed - without chaos.
A few phrases make the system stick. โThis is important, Iโve set 5:30 p.m. to do it properly.โ โHereโs the outcome and deadline - shout if you hit a blocker.โ โPatient-facing work takes priority; letโs park this or handle it by email.โ
You donโt need fancy software. A notebook with four headings works. So does your phoneโs notes app, plus a calendar. The magic isnโt the tool - itโs the weekly ritual and the daily check-in.
The matrix wonโt remove pressure from healthcare, but it will change the shape of your day. Urgently stopping bullying is important. Patients get safer care. You feel calmer. Your future moves forward.
Start small this week. Protect one Schedule block. Delegate one urgent task appropriately. Say no once - politely. Then watch your energy, your outcomes, and your growth rise.
Dr. Libeya Bethwel
