Eisenhower matrix explained
Urgent tasks shout for attention, but they are not always important. The matrix makes you ask both questions separately, which reveals how much time goes to things that feel pressing but matter little.
The box that matters most is important but not urgent: planning, learning, relationships and health. These rarely force themselves onto your day, so you have to schedule them.
Try it today
- Draw four boxes: urgent and important, important not urgent, urgent not important, neither.
- Place every task from your list into one box.
- Do the first box, schedule the second, delegate the third and delete the fourth.
Where it comes from
It is named after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in a 1954 speech quoted a former college president on urgent problems rarely being important. Stephen Covey turned the idea into the time management matrix in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989).
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Eisenhower matrix?
- The Eisenhower matrix sorts tasks into four boxes by urgency and importance: do it now, schedule it, delegate it, or drop it.
- Where does the Eisenhower matrix come from?
- It is named after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in a 1954 speech quoted a former college president on urgent problems rarely being important. Stephen Covey turned the idea into the time management matrix in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989).
- How do I start with the Eisenhower matrix?
- Draw four boxes: urgent and important, important not urgent, urgent not important, neither. Place every task from your list into one box. Do the first box, schedule the second, delegate the third and delete the fourth.
- Which tools help with the Eisenhower matrix?
- Tools in our directory that help include Todoist, TickTick, Notion, Trello. Each has its own page with pricing, pros and cons.