Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Too often in life, we’re so busy swinging that we forget to invest in the work that makes the swing effective. We don’t make time, don’t prioritize, or simply overlook the power of sharpening the axe. But the ones who do? They stand apart. “Sharpening the axe”—the action of investing in what makes your goals easier to achieve—is an integral thread among the world’s most successful people.
Greatness in Action
Warren Buffett is widely regarded as one of the greatest investors of all time. He bought his first stock at just 11 years old and quickly developed a lifelong obsession with business and investing. Over the years, that obsession turned into a disciplined strategy rooted in patience, value, and long-term thinking. Eventually, he acquired a struggling textile company called Berkshire Hathaway and transformed it into one of the most powerful holding companies in the world. Today, Berkshire fully owns dozens of businesses—including GEICO, See’s Candies, and Fruit of the Loom—and holds significant stakes in industry giants like Apple, Coca-Cola, and American Express. Its value now exceeds a trillion dollars, surpassing companies like Walmart, Tesla, and ExxonMobil. When asked about the secret to his success, Warren Buffett didn’t mention deals or people—he mentioned reading. “Read 500 pages like this every day,” he said. “That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest.” For Buffett, every page is a quiet investment in long-term growth—a way of sharpening the axe.
Leonardo da Vinci is often celebrated as one of the greatest minds in human history. From a young age, he was endlessly curious—sketching inventions, studying nature, and exploring anatomy with obsessive detail. Over time, that curiosity evolved into mastery across disciplines: art, science, engineering, and architecture. Though best known for iconic works like The Last Supper and Mona Lisa, da Vinci’s notebooks reveal an insatiable drive to understand how the world works. He dissected corpses to study muscles, designed machines centuries ahead of their time, and filled pages with observations on everything from fluid dynamics to human emotion. His genius wasn’t the product of talent alone—it was built on relentless observation, experimentation, and note-taking. For Leonardo, learning was his way of sharpening the axe.
Cristiano Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. Born on the small Portuguese island of Madeira, he was relentless from the start—known not just for his talent, but for his obsessive work ethic. That drive carried him from modest beginnings to global superstardom, with record-breaking performances at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and the Portuguese national team. Beyond the goals and trophies, Ronaldo’s success stems from years of daily training, strict discipline, and an uncompromising focus on self-improvement. While others celebrated, he was still on the pitch, still refining, still pushing his limits. When asked what separates him, Ronaldo credits consistency and sacrifice. Every drill, every rep, every hour in the gym—that’s how he sharpens his axe.
If you study the lives of any successful champion, you’ll notice one common thread: they spend the majority of their time sharpening the axe. So the question is—where do you spend most of your time?
The Eisenhower Matrix
To help distinguish between what truly matters and what merely feels urgent, Dwight D. Eisenhower—former U.S. President and five-star general—used a simple but powerful mental model now known as the Eisenhower Matrix. It divides all tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. Quadrant I is for tasks that are both urgent and important—crises, deadlines, and immediate problems. Quadrant III is for things that feel urgent but aren’t actually important—like unnecessary meetings or interruptions. Quadrant IV is for time-wasters—mindless scrolling, busywork, distractions. But the most valuable is Quadrant II: the work that is important but not urgent. This is where preparation, planning, learning, health, and personal growth live. These activities don’t scream for your attention—but they quietly shape your future.
Quadrant II: Where Champions are Made
Most of us spend our days stuck in Quadrants I and III—rushing from one urgent task to the next, constantly reacting to whatever demands our attention. And when we finally get a break, we slip into Quadrant IV—wasting time on distractions that offer rest, but not renewal. In the process, we neglect the most valuable activities of all: those in Quadrant II. These are the activities that sharpen the axe—working out, reading, learning, eating well. They’re not urgent, but they’re essential. And yet, they’re the first to go when life gets busy. The irony? These are the very actions that make you better at everything else—and ultimately lead to success.
The first step is to identify your Quadrant II activities—the ones that are important but not urgent. These are the habits that improve your life over time, but rarely demand your attention in the moment. You’ll often recognize them as the things you know will make you better—but you keep putting off. Maybe it’s eating healthier, meal prepping, or finally getting consistent at the gym. Maybe it’s finishing that degree, learning a new skill, or preparing for a career change you’ve been thinking about for years. So ask yourself: What’s the investment in yourself you’ve been meaning to make—but keep putting off?
Second, prioritize spending as much time as possible on Quadrant II (important/not urgent) activities. This is where real transformation happens—personally, professionally, and in your overall quality of life. These activities may not feel urgent, but they have the highest return. Invest your time here intentionally, and make them non-negotiable priorities.
Lastly, build systems that keep you consistent. Willpower fades, but structure sustains. Time block your priorities, create routines, and surround yourself with accountability. Make it easy to do the right thing—and harder to drift into Quadrants III (not important/urgent) and IV (not important/not urgent). The goal is to make your Quadrant II activities the path of least resistance. When your environment and habits are aligned with your growth, success becomes a byproduct of your system.
Reallocate Your Time
It’s not about swinging harder—it’s about stepping back to sharpen the blade. And that means consistently investing your time and effort in Quadrant II. That’s why we built this platform. It’s not just a place to learn—it’s a system designed to help you protect your priorities, eliminate distractions, and stay committed to the work that actually moves the needle. With structure, accountability, and a like-minded community, you’ll have the tools and support to make your growth non-negotiable.
Where you spend your time matters. Choose the quadrant where champions are made.