What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

The Eisenhower Matrix (also called the Urgent-Important Matrix) is a decision framework that sorts tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. It was attributed to President Dwight Eisenhower and popularized in Stephen Covey's book \\\"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.\\\" Review this figure each week to see whether your actual usage matches your plan.

What goes in Q2 (not urgent, important)?

Q2 is where sustained high performance comes from: strategic planning, professional development, exercise, proactive relationship-building, and prevention work. These tasks rarely feel urgent, so they get displaced by Q1 and Q3 unless scheduled deliberately. The matrix makes Q2 visible so it does not disappear under the urgency of the day.

How is Q3 different from Q1?

Both feel urgent, someone is waiting, a notification fired, a meeting is starting. The difference is importance. Q1 tasks drive your actual goals or prevent real consequences. Q3 tasks are urgent to someone else or create the feeling of urgency without contributing to your core objectives. Distinguishing them requires honest evaluation of whose priorities are actually being served.

Should I delete Q4 tasks immediately?

That is the point of Q4 (Eliminate). If a task is neither urgent nor important, the most productive action is to remove it rather than carry it forward indefinitely. If you cannot bring yourself to delete it, move it out of Q4, the act of placing it there and then keeping it is a signal that it actually belongs in Q2 or Q3.

Can I rename the quadrant labels?

Yes. Each quadrant label (Do First, Schedule, Delegate, Eliminate) is editable to match your team's terminology. Some people use \\\"Crisis / Deep Work / Interruptions / Ignore\\\" or other systems. The labels change on the board and in the CSV export.

Can multiple people use the same board?

The board is stored in your browser's local storage, which is private to your device and browser. It is not shared or synced across devices. For shared team task boards, use the CSV export to share snapshots.

Eisenhower Priority Matrix

Sort tasks by urgency and importance, drag between quadrants, and export your board.

Add task

Task nameDue dateQuadrantNotes (optional)

Quadrant labels

Urgent + ImportantNot urgent + ImportantUrgent + Not importantNot urgent + Not important

No active tasks on the board.

Do First

Urgent + Important

0 active

No tasks

Schedule

Not urgent + Important

0 active

No tasks

Delegate

Urgent + Not important

0 active

No tasks

Eliminate

Not urgent + Not important

0 active

No tasks

Tasks are stored in your browser only. Export CSV before clearing site data or switching devices.

How this tool works

Add a task, assign it to a quadrant, and it appears on the board as a card. Drag it between quadrants when its status changes. Check it off when done. The board persists in browser storage.

Worked example

Suppose you have these four items on your mind: "Prepare board presentation due tomorrow", Q1 (urgent + important) "Read industry report to inform next quarter's strategy", Q2 (not urgent + important) "Reply to a colleague's question about the office coffee machine", Q3 (urgent + not important) "Clean up old files on your laptop", Q4 (not urgent + not important) Adding these to the matrix makes the right action clear: do the presentation today, schedule time for the report this week, send a quic

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
The Eisenhower Matrix (also called the Urgent-Important Matrix) is a decision framework that sorts tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. It was attributed to President Dwight Eisenhower and popularized in Stephen Covey's book \\\"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.\\\" Review this figure each week to see whether your actual usage matches your plan.
What goes in Q2 (not urgent, important)?
Q2 is where sustained high performance comes from: strategic planning, professional development, exercise, proactive relationship-building, and prevention work. These tasks rarely feel urgent, so they get displaced by Q1 and Q3 unless scheduled deliberately. The matrix makes Q2 visible so it does not disappear under the urgency of the day.
How is Q3 different from Q1?
Both feel urgent, someone is waiting, a notification fired, a meeting is starting. The difference is importance. Q1 tasks drive your actual goals or prevent real consequences. Q3 tasks are urgent to someone else or create the feeling of urgency without contributing to your core objectives. Distinguishing them requires honest evaluation of whose priorities are actually being served.
Should I delete Q4 tasks immediately?
That is the point of Q4 (Eliminate). If a task is neither urgent nor important, the most productive action is to remove it rather than carry it forward indefinitely. If you cannot bring yourself to delete it, move it out of Q4, the act of placing it there and then keeping it is a signal that it actually belongs in Q2 or Q3.
Can I rename the quadrant labels?
Yes. Each quadrant label (Do First, Schedule, Delegate, Eliminate) is editable to match your team's terminology. Some people use \\\"Crisis / Deep Work / Interruptions / Ignore\\\" or other systems. The labels change on the board and in the CSV export.
Can multiple people use the same board?
The board is stored in your browser's local storage, which is private to your device and browser. It is not shared or synced across devices. For shared team task boards, use the CSV export to share snapshots.