Eisenhower Matrix for Burned Out Women in Healthcare

How to Prioritize When You’re Drowning: The Eisenhower Matrix for Women in Healthcare

BTW, if you're ready to stop living in survival mode and start building a life that actually feels good, grab my free All Shift Mindfulness Self Care Plan here.

You’re juggling ICU shifts, graduate school deadlines, a toddler, a home, and a body that’s running on caffeine and willpower. You don’t have time to read another productivity book. You need an actual system that filters your tasks and protects your peace.

Enter: The Eisenhower Matrix.
Made famous by President Dwight Eisenhower and popularized in modern behavior science by James Clear, this 2x2 decision-making tool helps you separate the urgent from the important, the noise from the actual priorities.

Here’s what using this might look like for a part-time ICU nurse who’s also in NP school, raising a toddler, holding down 50% of the household, and trying not to lose herself in the chaos. Sound like you? Read on.

✅ Urgent + Important (Do First)

Fire-alarm tasks that support your key roles:

1. Submit NP school assignment due tonight

2. Prep toddler’s daycare bag for tomorrow

3. Respond to manager about a shift change

4. Attend mandatory ICU skills check-off

5. Refill a critical prescription

🧠 Not Urgent + Important (Schedule It)

These don’t scream for attention—but they are your long-term life force.

1. Weekly grocery run + meal prep

2. 30-minute strength or yoga session

3. Deep work time for capstone project

4. Budget check-in + savings goals

5. Nightly wind-down ritual (stretch, journal, screens off)

In my $27 Time Design course, we go deeper into this exact process. You’ll learn how to shift from time scarcity to time sovereignty—even with a nurse schedule. It’s where your time finally starts to reflect your values.

📤 Urgent + Not Important (Delegate It)

Still needs doing—but not by you.

1. Call the pediatrician (partner can handle it)

2. Fold/put away laundry (share or outsource)

3. Respond to the family group chat

4. Clean out fridge

5. Drop off Amazon returns

🚫 Not Urgent + Not Important (Eliminate It)

These are your energy leaks.

1. Scrolling TikTok for 30+ minutes after bedtime

2. Obsessing over NP school group chat drama

3. Signing up for webinars you never watch

4. Deep-diving on supplement Reddit threads

5. Starting a second planner you don’t need

You don’t need to do more. You need to do less on purpose.

Want a printable version of this chart CLICK HERE!

Reading this is one thing, living it is another. If you're ready for that shift, apply for a 2-week coaching intensive and let’s get your life back. Together, we’ll reset your priorities, reclaim your energy, and help you build a version of your life you actually want to live inside.