With just two axes and a Sharpie, I can transform anything—from my weekend plans to my spiritual angst—into a clean visual that makes me feel like I understand the universe (or at least my to-do list). It’s therapy for the overthinker. Strategy for the soul. And let’s be honest: nothing says “I’ve thought this through” like a grid full of clever boxes.
I was first introduced to the 2×2, obviously, in business school with this classic chart which helped me understand the upside of new business opportunities.
Early in my career, I learned about the Eisenhower Matrix of productivity, which guided me toward focusing on what’s important – whether it’s urgent or not – as opposed to what’s easy.
Years later, my fellow business author Amy Edmundson perfectly captured the four quadrants associated with psychological safety and performance. Isn’t it neat to visually depict messy office politics in a 2×2? Yes, life is more complex than this, but somehow marveling at this graphic gives me the confidence and hope that I can aspire to the upper right-hand corner.
Having read my recent post on biohacking, MEA alum Liz Gephardt turned me onto Lucinda Bounsall’s Linkedin post on wellness captured in four quadrants, which is both hilarious and brazenly accurate. Who knew Andrew Huberman, Wim Hof, Hayley Bieber’s smoothie, Face Yoga and Oura Rings could all fit into a 2×2?
Okay, one last one before you prepare breakfast. Barry Rittholtz used this chart to help him decide what to quickly eat this morning. If you can create a graph with watermelons, pomegranates, and seedless grapes on it, you can see the enduring value of the 2×2. Go forth and seek the upper righthand quadrant!
-Chip