The 2x2 matrix
The 2x2 matrix is a simple but powerful tool to think through a topic. Here’s how it works:
- Take two qualities and their negations.
- Create four boxes in a two-by-two grid.
- Label the boxes on the top with the first quality and it’s negation.
- Label the boxes on the left with the second quality and it’s negation.
- Inside the boxes you write down what describes the combination of qualities.
| Not Quality 1 | Quality 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality 2 | ||
| Not Quality 2 |
Let’s say the qualities are what I want to do and what I need to do:
| Don’t need to do | Do need to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Do want to do | (1) Distractions, danger zone | (2) Easy wins |
| Don’t want to do | (3) Not a problem | (4) Hard work, overcome friction |
We immediately see that (1) and (4) require special attention while we don’t need to consider (2) and (3) further.
To be effective you can try different combinations of qualities. You can also write down characteristics that are valid independent of one quality at the outside of the other quality.
You can also extend this to more cells, for example by breaking down a quality into low, medium and high.
Give it a try!